In other words, the sequence of migration is regarded as having been first from the south and then from the north. The people from the south made ironware by using iron sand as the material. It was thus thought that Japan's traditional iron making techniques began with iron sand. Nevertheless, the iron slag discovered 15 years ago had come from iron ore. When compared with iron sand, iron made from iron ore requires a high technical level.
Many mysteries still remain in the history of iron in Japan.
But the attachment and pride that the Japanese people have had for iron from ancient times is an undeniable fact. Its use is uncertain. Up to now, large Dotaku with a height of over one meter to small examples of about 20 centimeters have been excavated. About the time that the people from the south, possessing the techniques of paddy-field rice cultivation, began to form a country of small tribes in the remote west of the Japanese archipelago, centering on Kyushu, bronze ware was actively imported from China under the Han Dynasty and from Korea. The civilization of the China continent was then in an age that combined the use of bronze and ironware.