C., and the cultures continued to blend until the Korean influence became the dominant influence, and the Jamon people retreated to their island. When the Christian era took hold in Japan, the Japanese also gained a metal culture from the Chinese mainland, which also helped the culture grow and modernize.

             Another important discovery that gave clues into the prehistoric culture of Japan were the burial tombs or mounds that were covered with stone or pottery, and in time they became quite high and elaborate. Historian Sansom continues, "The tombs of the rulers, which are called misasagi, are of almost stupendous dimensions, that of the emperor Nintoku (died about A.D. 400) being some 1,200 feet in length and go feet in height, covering with its moats a space of 80 acres" (Sansom 12). These sepulchral mounds contained many items that gave historians and archaeologists more ideas about prehistoric Japan. They contained pottery vessels from the Yayoi culture (which ultimately blended with and then replaced the Jamon), jewelry, weapons and tools made of bronze and iron, and small clay figures (Sansom 12). All of these items helped tell experts about life at the time, and how the prehistoric Japanese culture evolved and grew. .

             Japanese culture was firmly established by the sixth or seventh centuries. Japanese society was complex, and the arts were important. Sansom notes, "Costumes appear to have been elaborate and specialized, with a free use of jewelry, in the form of necklaces, bracelets, belt buckles and other ornaments of semi-precious stones, such as agate and crystal" (Sansom 45). Religion and ceremony were extremely important in society, and this showed in court ritual as well as in religious ceremonies. The Japanese have also always had an intimate relationship with the natural world, and this shows throughout their culture and history. Buddhism and Shintoism were the two main religions, and the people built elaborate temples that still look familiar to visitors today.