285 P.M. Desrosiers (ed.), The Emergence of Pressure Blade Making: From Origin to Modern Experimentation, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-2003-3_11, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2012 11.1 Introduction As one of the most sophisticated innovations in prehistoric lithic technologies, the pressure technique has attracted considerable scholarly attention. Several experi- mental studies demonstrate that the pressure technique requires complicated knowl- edge concerning the repertoire of gestures as well as well-developed know-how which can only be acquired through repeated practice (e.g. Apel 2008; Pelegrin 2003, 2006). Studies of the pressure blade and microblade production open undeni- ably important insights into the dynamics of interaction between prehistoric society and technology by directing explicit attention towards the skill and craft learning underlying the technological practice (e.g. Migal 2006). Also, understanding the timing of its appearance has been of notable archaeological interest in evaluating the temporal changes to the chaîne opératoire of lithic assemblages and the socio- economic conditions in relation to the adoption of such technique (e.g. Rahmani 2004, 2007). Some archaeologists have proposed that the pressure technique used for produc- ing blades or microblades emerged in the Upper Paleolithic of Eurasia (Flenniken 1987), found in large areas of Northern Asia, including Northern Japan. Inizan et al. (1992) claimed that the pressure technique in these areas was linked to the produc- tion of microblades detached from wedge-shaped microblade cores, and its appear- ance probably occurred around 20,000 years B.P. Recent results of archaeological research in these areas certainly support their suggestions in terms of new AMS radiocarbon dates and the technological re-evaluation of the microblade reduction sequences. In this regard, understanding the microblade technology of Northern Asia is critical to research into the origin of pressure microblade production during the Late Pleistocene. J. Takakura (*) Archaeological Research Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan e-mail: jun-ta@let.hokudai.ac.jp Chapter 11 Emergence and Development of the Pressure Microblade Production: A View from the Upper Paleolithic of Northern Japan Jun Takakura