Journal of the Anthropological Society of Nippon
Online ISSN : 1884-765X
Print ISSN : 0003-5505
ISSN-L : 0003-5505
Volume 61, Issue 4
Displaying 1-6 of 6 articles from this issue
  • SUEJI UMEHARA
    1950Volume 61Issue 4 Pages 161-162
    Published: October 30, 1950
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    "Tachu-Saimon Mirror", the mirror with two knobs and zigzag design, was found for the first time at Kajikurihama, Yamaguchi Pref., Japan in 1914. Thenceforce more than ten mirrors of this kind have been found not only in Japan but in Korea. Those found in Korea are classified into two types, the one being finely moulded and the other roughly.
    The new example I am going to introduce here, too, is what was discovered in Korea, probably in Southern Phyongan more than fifteen years ago and now in the hand of Mr. CHUJI KITAMURA who had purchased it there.
    The mirror is preserved its complete form and has a medium size, 12.4cm in diameter, with, a little warp on its surface. Two knobs are on the back side by side a little apart from the center, and fine zigzag design is seen all over the back. As the surface is lead black in colour and has many traces of green patina, the material does not seem to be of so good quality.
    The design on the back considerably resembles to that of a mould of mirror which is reported to have been unearthed at Mongson. Close relationship is noticed between the mirror and the mould from Mngson, though the former presumably preceeds the latter chronologically. As for the quality of the metal, it presents a good example of the roughly moulded type of Northern Korea. If so, it suggests a very interesting fact that such a type of mirrors had been in wide use there at that time.
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  • TAMOTSU OGATA
    1950Volume 61Issue 4 Pages 163-166
    Published: October 30, 1950
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In the Journal of the Anthropological Society of Nippon Vol. LXI. No. 691, Jan. 1950, the author published his detailed bacteriological study on the bacteria in various layers of three neolithic shellmounds with Jomon pottery in Kanto District, Okadaira in Ibaragi Pref., Ubayama in Chiba Pref. and Kyu-Hommaru of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. A search for the same species of the bacteria in shellmounds was made with the ground of the Tokyo University to find out six species of bacteria;Micrscrococcus eatonii, M.ureae, Bacillus megatherium, B.ubicuitarius B.terminalis and B.tardious.
    As the pH and concentration of Ca are seemingly higher in shellmounds than in normal grounds, the author compared the several characters of bacteria in the ground with those in shellmounds. Two species of the six in the shellmounds proved to live and propagate themselves in higher pH bouillon and three in higher concentration of CaCl2 bouillon. While in NaC1 bouillon both the bacteria in the shellmounds and those in the normal ground marked no such differences.
    Generally, it is known, any organismus will gradually adapt itself to the given environmental conditions. So even if the special characters of bacteria in the shellmounds would be different from those in normal ground, it does not necessarily lead to the conclusion that the bacteria survived from the neolithic age.
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  • SHIRO KONDO, KAZUO TERADA, YUKINARI KOHARA
    1950Volume 61Issue 4 Pages 167-174
    Published: October 30, 1950
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The authors write this report on a statistical treatment of measurement of foot from a viewpoint of its practical use. We measured feet and classified data after Japanese size of shoes, " Mon " (1 Mon=24.4mm) ; 9.0, 9.3, '9.5, 9.7, 10.0, 10.3, 10.5, 10.7, 11.0 Mon.
    Correlation : In each size ρ=0 between foot-length and breadth. In the whole numbers (female, N=495) ρ≠0.
    And we noticed foot-breadth was more correlative to foot-length than to footheight (measured from the floor to the heighest median point between Os naviculare and cuneiforme I).
    Comparison of mean value : In the adjoining sizes we notice the significant difference in the mean value of the foot-length, height and heel-breadth, and not in breadth. Coefficient of variationt of foot-breadth (=s√x) is very large in cornparison with the others, and this means that the metatarsophalangeal joint plays the important roll in walking.
    We, anthropologists, meet often with the problem of treatment of index. The mean value and the standard deviation in this index can be approximately calculated with ease from the values of Sx Sy, C, x and y.
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  • MAKOTO SUZUKI
    1950Volume 61Issue 4 Pages 175-182
    Published: October 30, 1950
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    In 1943, this skull No. ll was found at the Djalainor Coal-field, North Manchuria. On this skull, Dr. R. ENDO already presented the results of the geological, archaeological and anthropological relationship in a parer entitled "On the Djalainor Skulls", in the Proceedings of the Japan Academy, Vol. 21, Nos. 3-10. But, I want to report in full the results of the measurement made at the request of Dr. ENDO in the middle of January, 1945.
    In September 1944, Dr. ENDO investigated the vicinity of the Djalai Coal-mine in cooperation with Dr. W. C. PEI, and found several specimens of fossilized human bones (left half of a mandible, right ulna, left ulna, and a fragment of a rib), together with the mammalian fossils (Elepas primigenius BLUM, Rhinoeeros antiquilatis BLUM, and Equus prezewalshyi POLIAKOFF) and many stone implements, in sand-piles extracted from the colliery.
    Dr ENDO says that, "Skull No. II had presumably unearthed in grey to yellowish finely grained sand, about 10m below the surface. However, it was actually found on piles about 30m high of the sand extracted from two inclined shafts of the colliery.
    As some other human bones, mammalian fossils and stone implements were found on the above mentioned sandpiles, it is reasonable to infer that all these materials were formerly embeded in the same horizon together with skull No. II. According to Dr. PEI WEN CRUN's opinion, these mesolithic implements belong to the Mongolian-Linhshi type and consist only of chipped implements without a single piece of polished ones. Their age is assumably the early mesolithic.
    The skull is in a good state of preservation, but lacks mandible. I presume that this skull No. II is of a male in the adult.
    This skull assumes a blackish-brown color and is very heavy, and its mineralized fissilization is considerably advanced. The teeth are bluish, and have glassy translucency, dotted with black specks. And then, the teeth are all preserved, and the masticating surface is worn out level.
    The skull is massively built as a whole and the skull bones are thick. The teeth are large and massive, and torus supraorbitalis is remarkable. The characteristics of this skull are as follows:
    The projection of nasal region is low; the bi.zygomatic breadth is broad; the face is flat; the brow ridges are distinct; the frontal region is narrow and receded; the circumference is small; the occipital region is broad; and the cranial vault is very high and peak.
    The details are shown in the measurement table, but chief items will be summarized as follows:
    Euencephalic: meso-hypsi-acrocranial; stenometopic; mesoconchous (left) and chamaeconchous (right); mesorhine; brachyuranic; mesostaphyline; and ortho gnathous.
    As is mentioned above, judging from the state of preservation and the shape, I think, this skull demands the same antiquity with the mesolithic or upper palaeolithic age.
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  • NAOTUNE WATANABE
    1950Volume 61Issue 4 Pages 183-190
    Published: October 30, 1950
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The human coxal bone, which was discovered by N. NAORA at seacliff near Akashi in 1931, was pointed out on the primitivity of its form by Dr. K. HASEBE who proposed to name " Nipponantkropus "provided it is verified to have occorred from lower pleistocene deposit there. The bone was discovered at the earth heap which was dislocated down from upper part of the cliff and was not excavated from the original formation. In 1948 the excavation was effected at the ajuscent part of the cliff where the bone had been found, but neither human bone nor any kind of artefacts was discovered anew. The result of geological survey verified that the formation from which the bone was estimated occur belongs to the lower pleistocene. As the bone was destroyed in the war, the author, in aim to estimate the horizon in which the bone had possibly been preserved, examined some pedological properties of the formation and the state of several fossils excavated near the site. The results are as follows: (1) In respect to the pedological properties, the formation is classified into three parts; the strata uuder the sea level, the strata in reductive condition above the the sea level (a-c, fig 1) and the strata in oxidative condition (d-f, ibid.).
    (2) In the strata above the sea level, the bone is assumably not to be preserved in good condition for a long time: the earth in the formation all acidic, the exchangeable Ca contents are measured small, the fossil-shells in strata c-d remain only cutin layer and the teeth of an ancient elephant in stratum c consist of several enamel plates with almost all parts of cement and dentine lost.
    (3) On the contrary, the formation under the sea level would possibly permit the good preservation of bone; the earth presents alkaline reaction, a large amount of exchangeable Ca and satisfactorily fossilized bones by Limonite, Pyrite, Marcasite etc.
    (4) The difference in the pedological properties of strata below and above the sea level is seemingly due to the elevation of the land. A reference was made on the possibility of preservation with the case in which a land elevation lifted a bone fossilized below the sea level above it, but the possibility was also assumed to be negative.
    (5) The outcome of the mentioned study could not suggest the horizon above the sea level from which the ptblematical bone had possibly occured. But the primitivity and the age of the bone, however, shall remain unaffected by this conciusion.
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  • GHCHI TANABE
    1950Volume 61Issue 4 Pages 191-194
    Published: October 30, 1950
    Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Bony substances of old ages have been more or less influenced by the environment in whicn they were placed. In Japan they are mostly unearthed from shellmounds, where, howevere, they are not necessarily found in satisfactory state of preservation.
    The following chemical analyses were made with human and beast bones in various states excavated from several shellmounds and old graves in Japan: the specific gravity, the content of organic matter, the ratio of CaO to P2O5 and Iodine number of bone fat.
    The results of experiments indicated a remarkable difference in their measured values from those of recent bones. But no correlation was seen between these values and their states of preservation or their ages. And it was assumed that the environmental influences in the ground are considerably complex.
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