Journal of the Anthropological Society of Nippon

On the Figures of Material applied Knotting

IWAO NUKADA

1956 Volume 65 Issue 3 Pages 93-108
Published: December 30, 1956
Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1537/ase1911.65.93

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It is said that many kinds of knots are used for fishing, hunting, construction and decoration among primitive societies. And we can see the resemble samples mentioned above in the daily life of present uncivilized people.
Some time ago, in Vol. 64, No. 2 of this Journal the author wrote about"the determination of sequence in the development of knotting among uncivilized people"and noted that it was necessary to make clear the development of the shapes of materials to which was applied in order to know the history of knotting techniques.
For this reason, by gathering many kinds of material with applied knotting in neighbouring uncivilized people, and also by comparing these with those applied to ancient pottery, stone and ivory implements whose ages are wellknown, the author had been able to classify the figures of materials namely,
1. Placing uneven figures on the concave or convex parts of materials which are proof against slipping, so that knotting can then be accomplished.
2. Boring holes in objects through which rope or string may be tied.
3. Placing an object upon some other material, utilizing gravity. For example, on the forked part of some other material, the bar (object) is first can be laid and so that knotting can be accomplished indirectly.
4. Inserting an object between two materials (utilizing friction). This is a very efficient technique for knotting.
In this paper the author has also described the development of techniques and tool necessary to shape materials into various kinds of figures.

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Local Characteristics of the Ainu and the Mixed Ainu in Hokkaido viewed from Toe Prints

GORO SHIMA

1956 Volume 65 Issue 3 Pages 109-127
Published: December 30, 1956
Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1537/ase1911.65.109

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1. Marked characteristics and local variations are observed between the toe prints of various Ainu tribes and those of the mixed Ainu in Hokkaido. (Tables 1 and 2)
2. The toe prints of the Ainu of the present list which differ only slightly from those of mixed ainu but which are extremely unlike those of pure Ainu can be considered in the category of mixed-bred Ainu. The reason is described in detail in the present paper. Because of this, apparently marked local differences observed in comparing the Ainu tribes are not necessarily significant.
3. The Tocachi Ainu tribe has steadily maintained its distinctive characteristics. From a physical stand point, most of the Ainu are mixed. The Hitaka tribe, and more especially Iburi tribe are intensively influenced in the direction of mixed breeding.
4. Marked differences among individual local tribes are chiefly attributable to the fact that physically mixed tribes have been involved in the pure Ainucategory. Chiefly the differences take their origin from mixed breedingwith Japanese.

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On the Cranium of a Cat from the Nojima Shell-Mound in the Early Jomon Period

KOTONDO HASEBE

1956 Volume 65 Issue 3 Pages 128-134
Published: December 30, 1956
Released on J-STAGE: February 26, 2008

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1537/ase1911.65.128

JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

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The findings of skeletal remains which have been claimed to represent the prehistoric cats of Japan has been reported, but few of these claims have been made on scientific ground.
The writer examined the cranium of a cat which was found in the Nojima Shell-mound of Kanagawa Prefecture by Mr. N. AKABosxr, by means of comparative osteometric method. There are actually another bones of cat from the same site, but as regards cranial bones among them only a juvenile lower jaw and an adult upper jaw permit osteometric measurements.
The cranium has been well preserved and almost complete, from which, however, some parts of the zygomatic region and about a half of the upper and lower teeth have been missing. It should be of an adult individual but its sex is unknown. The teeth are slightly worn. The writer compared 34 measurements and 8 indices of the cranium with those of 13 crania of domesticated cats (9 from Honshu, Japan; 1 from S. America; 2 from Germany; 1 of unknown origin) and 8 crania of wild cats (1 from Tsushima, Japan; 1 from Korea; 2 from Ceylon; 1 from India; 2 from Africa; and 1 of unknown origin). The comparison shows the results as the followings:
1) The Nojima cat is not markedly different from the domesticated cats from Honshu in any individual measurement except in two or three indices. It is quite similar to the wild cats from Korea and Tsushima.
2) Morphologically speaking, the so-called cat represented by the isolated jaws from the Nojima Shell-mound and a lower jaw from the Ichioji Shellmound of Aomori Prefecture conform to wild cat.
3) Dimensions of the Nojima cat show close similarity to those of the wild cats from Tsushima, Korea, Ceylon, and India. Those cats from Asia are well differentiated from the African wild cats which are larger in general feature and stronger in biting structure.
4) The domesticated cats from Honshu resemble to the wild cats from Asia, and the domesticated cat from Germany to the wild cats from Africa.
5) The Nojima cat should be a kind of Asian wild cat. Although it is difficult to segregate the Nojima cat from the domestcatied cats from Honshu, there is no reason to regard the former as the ancestor of the latter. On the other hand there seems to be a tendency in Japan to believe that all domesticated cats in Japan have been descended from imported species, but it is also doubtful.

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