Yayoi

American

[yah-yoi] / yɑˈyɔɪ /

adjective

of or relating to a cultural period in Japan, c300 b.c.–a.d. c300, characterized by unglazed reddish clay pottery Yayoi ware made on a wheel and noted for its restrained, undecorated style, haniwa figures, raised-floor dwellings, wet-rice agriculture, and the first use of bronze and iron.

Etymology

Origin of Yayoi

From the Japanese word Yayoi site of a tumulus where the pottery was discovered in 1884

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In their bathroom, Davis hung paintings her children had made in the style of the artists Piet Mondrian and Yayoi Kusama.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2025

Other Paul prompts included: “This couch eats people,” “A world without pants,” and “Santa Claus in the style of Yayoi Kusama.”

From Slate • Feb. 4, 2025

I’m guessing it’s not a $3.5 million Yayoi Kusama painting or a $4.75 million David Hammons piece.

From Salon • Dec. 19, 2024

Many other artists have since been enlisted by Louis Vuitton as designers for hire, including Richard Prince, Jeff Koons, and Yayoi Kusama.

From New York Times • May 2, 2024

The Ainu are more nearly the descendants of Japan’s ancient Jomon inhabitants, mixed with Korean genes of Yayoi colonists and of the modern Japanese.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023