(с 7500–с 250 BC) jōmon ).
Jōmon artifacts have been found from Hokkaido to the Ryukyu Islands. The Jōmon people lived in sunken pit dwellings and subsisted primarily by hunting, fishing, and gathering. They used chipped-stone and later polished-stone tools and made clothing of bark. Though their pottery was technically primitive, it demonstrated diverse forms and imaginative designs and decorations. Many contemporary {{link=Ainu">Ainu believe themselves to be descended from the Jōmon people. See also Yayoi culture .