Overview
C1a (M8) is one of the rare but deeply informative paternal lineages of East Asia. It is an ancient branch that split from the broader C1 cluster during the Upper Paleolithic and became rooted among coastal hunter-gatherer communities of the Japanese archipelago. C1a is particularly associated with the Jōmon people, who inhabited Japan for thousands of years prior to the arrival of rice agriculture from the mainland. This lineage therefore provides a unique snapshot of East Asia’s pre-agricultural genetic landscape.
Geographic distribution
Today C1a survives primarily in Japan at very low frequencies. Smaller occurrences appear in Korea, coastal China and among some individuals in Southeast Asia, likely reflecting ancient population contacts.
Ancient DNA
- Multiple Jōmon-era individuals carry C1a lineages, confirming deep local ancestry.
- Upper Paleolithic East Asian individuals show early branches ancestral to C1a.
- Holocene Japanese hunter-gatherers retain downstream C1a signatures.
Phylogeny & subclades
C1a is defined by M8 and CTS11043. It contains smaller micro-branches that remained confined to the Japanese and coastal East Asian regions.
Notes & context
C1a is one of the clearest markers of pre-agricultural Japanese paternal ancestry.
References & external links