Abstract
The acquisition of the technique of knotting by man was one of the factors which enabled him to progress far beyond the other animals. This was the first constructive technique human beings acquired. They could tie things, transport them and could construct buildings. In fact, holes in ancient pottery, stone implements and various kinds of ivory show that knotting had been widely used for housing, cultivation of the soil, transportation and for numerous other purposes. Realizing that knotting has also played an important part in the development of ancient designs, hieroglyphs, and religious symbolism, reserch into its developmental sequences cannot be considered insignificant. The author studied the various kinds of knotting techniques employed by children between the age of 3 and 7 in various parts of Japan and statistically conjectured the development and sequence of the various techniques. The children were carefully chosen from groups brought up in their native or familiar environments. In order to prove the conclusions obtained, a careful study of all excavations made to date should be undertaken, first to discover the traces of knotting and then to determine their classification. The sequence obtained by the present statistical study was as follows : Single knot→Granny knot→Reef knot→Double bow knot.
