The Late Pleistocene “Ushikawa man” from central Japan: its identity and historical reflections

Abstract

The “Ushikawa man” fossils (humeral shaft fragment and femoral head) from central Japan were proposed by H. Suzuki and F. Takai in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and since then have been considered to represent rare examples of Late Pleistocene human remains from the Honshu Island. However, doubt as to its human identity have been voiced, especially since the 1990s, albeit without formal reevaluations. We here report results of an in depth morphological examination of the two Ushikawa fossils, based on a comparative analysis with 24 specimens of Ursus arctos and U. thibetanus. Our results indicate that the two Ushikawa “human” fossils are radial shaft and femoral head fragments of Ursus, and, from aspects of both morphology and faunal assemblage considerations, most likely represent U. arctos. We also offer brief reflections on the historical background and significance of the “Ushikawa man” fossils to the development of paleoanthropology in Japan.