The Hayato (隼人), which is Japanese for "falcon-people",[1] were a people of ancient Japan who lived in the Satsuma and Ōsumi regions of southern Kyushu during the Nara period.

[6] The Hayato were made to emigrate to the Kinai region, and were active in the protection of the court, the arts, sumo, and bamboo work.

It suggests a common origin with adjacent languages for this word when compared with Reconstructed Ryukyuan *pisi, Ainu pis ("shore"), and Eastern Old Japanese pîⁿzi³.

Nonetheless, it is thought to have diverged early from the languages spoken on the islands of Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu.

The Hayato had roles in various state ceremonies, including those for the new year, imperial enthronement, and visiting foreign officials.

According to the ancient records of Hizen province, the Gotō Islands were also inhabited by a people resembling the Hayato.

The Hayato Dance may be intended to portray Umisachihiko's pain at being outdone by his younger brother Yamasachihiko.

[17] Additionally, skeletons excavated from late Yayoi-period ruins on Tanegashima are smaller than those found on Kyushu, and show signs of artificial cranial deformation.