A recent dig in Fukuoka Prefecture has unearthed a late Yayoi period industrial hub focused on the luxury pearl trade. Archaeologists discovered specialized stone basins and bone-tipped drills specifically designed for cleaning and boring holes in deep-sea pearls harvested from the Genkai Sea.
This discovery provides the first physical evidence of a pearl-processing guild in ancient Japan. The presence of these refined artifacts alongside high-status burial goods indicates that the pearl industry was a significant component of the region's trans-oceanic trade with the Asian mainland.