Uncovering the Gaps in Human History? 'Latest Research Reveals the Japanese Paleolithic Period' to be Released on May 25!

Kawade Shobo Shinsha is releasing 'Latest Research Reveals the Japanese Paleolithic Period' (by Ryoji Yamagishi) on May 25, 2026, as an accessible guide to the oldest culture and human figures in Japan.

Understand the 'Paleolithic Period' from scratch: - What route did Homo sapiens take to arrive in the Japanese archipelago? - Did Paleolithic people live in caves or build dwellings? - What animals did they hunt and how did they cook? - Types and uses of stone tools (knives, points, scrapers, axes). - History of excavations of Paleolithic sites since the Meiji era.

In 2025, stone tools estimated to be approximately 40,000 years old were discovered at the Kanmuri site in the Kanmuri Highlands, located in the heart of the Chugoku Mountains (Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture). This discovery has attracted significant attention as it implies that human arrival in Japan may be 5,000 years earlier than previously thought.

'Latest Research Reveals the Japanese Paleolithic Period' explores the origins of Japanese culture and the lives of pre-Jomon people, building upon this major discovery to address simple questions and the latest information.

[Main Contents] - Chapter 1: People who lived in the Paleolithic period and their culture - Chapter 2: How Paleolithic culture has been discovered - Chapter 3: What the small 'stone tools' tell us

[Comprehensive Appendices] - Commentary on 30 major Paleolithic sites + 80 years of Japanese archaeology post-war. - Includes a 20-question 'Archaeological Quiz' (beginner to intermediate) at the end of each section to test readers' knowledge.