The rhizome extract of Atractylodes japonica Koidzumi(Compositae) exhibited a particular inhibition on the proliferation of cultured human tumor cell lines, in vitro. Thus, the intensive phytichemical investigation of the MeOH extract of Atractylodes japonica have been conducted by the way of activity-guided purification. The repeated column chromatographic separation of the n-hexane soluble part of extract resulted in the isolation of four sesquiterpenes (1-4) and a polyacetylene component (5). Chemical structures of them were identified as atractylon (1), atractylenolide Ⅰ(2), atractylenolide Ⅲ(3), eudesma-4(15),7(11)-dien-8-one (4) and 1,3-diacetyl-atractylodiol (5) by spectroscopic means. Among the isolates, compound 2-4 were shown to give moderate inhibitory effect in a dose dependent manner on the proliferation of cultured human tumor cell lines such as A549 (non small cell lung), SK-OV-3 (ovary), SK-MEL-2 (melanoma), XF498 (central nerve system) and HCT 15(colon), respectively.