Abstract
The authors would like to discuss the different bone regions of the many kinds of skeletal injuries caused by sharp weapons among four archaeological sites in Yuigahama area, Kamakura, Japan. The method of classifying the injuries in this study was essentially that described by Suzuki et al. (1956). The injuries were found in 6 out of 91 skeletons (6.6%) from Seiyoukan site, in 9 out of 667 skeletons (1.3%) from Yuigahama-minami site, and in 8 out of 592 skeletons (1.4%) from Cyuusei-Syuudan-Boti site. Suzuki et al. (1956) reported that the injuries were found in 186 out of 283 skeletons (65.7%) from Zaimokuza site. All of 6 injured skulls were the gashes in the skeletons of Seiyoukan site. The majority of the injuries in Zaimokuza skulls were of the scratches (82.3%), while only 2.7% was of the gashes. On the other hand, no injury of the scratch was found in both Seiyoukan and Yuigahama-minami individuals. Suzuki et al. (1956) assumed that the scratches were made in scraping the soft parts from the skull for some purpose after death. It is interesting that the injuries by the sword in the medieval Japanese skeletons of Zaimokuza site were distinguishable from those in the skeletons of other three archaeological sites in Yuigahama area, Kamakura.
