Metric and non-metric data of the dental traits of the Aogashima Islanders were compared with those from the Honshu Japanese (Tokyo and Kyoto areas), the Okinawa Islanders, the Ainu, the Jomon and the Yayoi populations using multivariate analysis methods. The overall tooth size of the Aogashima Islanders is closest to the Tokyo residents, larger than the Jomon population, the Okinawa Islanders and the Ainu, and smaller. than the Yayoi population. On the other hand, the Aogashima Islanders are similar to the Okinawa Islanders in the shape factors of the tooth crown measurements. In the non-metric dental characters, the Aogashima Islanders show a closer affinity to the Okinawa Islanders than to any other populations compared. As a whole, the Aogashima Islanders are similar to the Jomon population as well as those who show close affinities to the latter, and largely differ from the Yayoi population in dental morphology. This finding seems to suggest that the dental traits in isolated populations such as the Aogashima Islanders may give important informations about the geographic variations which are supposed to reflect the history of formation processes of the Japanese population.

View full abstract

1) The head-burial site or the "Kubizuka" is located at the seashore of Sembon-hama, Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. According to the local tradition, a number of corpses, which died on the occasion of medieval battles taken place in the middle of the 16th century in this asea, were buried in the Sembon-hama beach. In 1900, a neighboring volunteer collected exposed human bones from the beach and reburied them under the present Kubizuka's monument.
2) On the basis of temporal bones, total number of skeletons buried in the site are estimated to be over 105 individuals, of which 2/3 are supposed to be of male sex and 1/3 of female.
3) Marked traces of injuries were recog-nized on some of the skulls, such as sharp incisions by swards, scratch injuries by sliding swards, round perforations by stabbing with pointed weapons as well as some sawn injuries.
4) Comparing the Kubizuka people with the medieval war-deals from the Zaimokuza site (A. D. 1333) in cranial features, the former coincide exactly with the latter. This will suggest that the burial site ori-ginated from the medieval age as the stated local tradition.
5) Based on the skulls excavated from several medieval sites, so far reported, the typical cranial features of the medieval Japaneses will be summerized as follows: dolichocrany, chameprosopy, chamaeconchy, platyrrhinny and flattness of nasal root.

View full abstract

We studied the dorsal moire topographies of a group of 142 girls with an average age of 13.7 and another group of 113 girls with an average age of 16.4. Of the respective groups, 60 and 68 subjects were measured anthropometrically. They were photographed in a natural standing position, and 15% of the former group and 26% of the latter were excluded from the study beforehand because they had more than 7.5mm left-right dorsal depth difference. The Type II high-thoracic moire pattern was most frequent (85% and 86%) in each group. Neither left-right differences or age group differences were detected in the length, depth and angle measurements on the dorsal moire photographs. The angle between the posterior median line and the left/right prominent point on the back fit the Gaussian distribution. The girls with Type I or II thoracic moire pattern were obese as indicated by their skinfold thickness, Rohrer index, the body mass index, and circumferential measurements. Principal component analysis showed that general body thickness and back depth formed opposite clusters on PC I, dorsal length contrasts with dorsal angle on PC II, and general body length formed a cluster on PC III.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the limb composition in the growing generation. The cross-sectional areas of fat and muscle at the right side of forearm, upper arm, leg, and thigh were measured by using ultrasonic apparatus for 127 boys and 124 girls aged from 7 to 18 years. The fat areas in boys increased from 7 to 12 years, decreased between 12 and 14 years, and increased again after 14 years. The fat areas of girls unchanged between 7 and 11 years, increased largely from 11 to 14 years with age, and remained almost constant after 15 years. The muscle areas in boys increased with age from 7 to 18 years. On the other hand, the muscle areas of girls increased under 14 years at upper arm, under arm, under 16-17 years at other measurement sites. The sex differences in fat and muscle areas became prominent after 13 years. The ratio of fat to muscle area (fat/muscle area ratio) decreased in boys from 12 to 14 years, but showed almost constant in other age. The fat/muscle area ratio in girls decreased from 7 to 12 years, but increased from 12 to 14 years. These results suggest that the relative increase of both fat and muscle areas in boys are almost the same from 7 to 12 years and from 14 to 18 years. And in girls, the relative increase in muscle area is superior to that of the fat area between 7 and 12 years, but conversely fat area increase predominately over that of the muscle area from 12 to 14 years. The ratio in fat area of forearm to upper arm as well as leg to thigh decreased at the age when fat areas were increasing. The ratio in muscle area of forearm to upper arm decreased with age from 7 to 18 years in boys and from 7 to 14 years in girls. On the other hand, the ratio in muscle area of leg to thigh were kept almost constant both in boys and girls during the whole age. Therefore, it will be assumed that the increase of fat areas at upper arm as well as thigh are relatively larger than that of forearm and leg. And the growth of the muscle area at upper arm is relatively larger than that of forearm during developmental age.

View full abstract

The pourpose of this study was to investigate the ralative growth of muscle strength to body height as well as muscle area. Subjects were 141 boys and 130 girls from 6 to 19 years old. Maximum isometric strengths of flexion and extension at elbow and knee were measured by using Cybex II isokinetic dynamometer. Cross-sectional areas of the flexor and the extensor muscles in upper arm as well as thigh were measured by using ultrasonic apparatus. Muscle strength (Y) corresponding to either body height or muscle area (X) was plotted a double logarithmic graph to obtain the allometric equation: Y=bXa, where "a" is a growth index and "b" is a constant. Muscle strengths in relation to body heights were expressed with straight lines. Both boys and girls showed higher values in the index "a" than that expected from the assumption of geometical similarity, i.e. 3.081-3.859 for boys, 2.498-3.711 for girls, ressectively. There were linear relationships between muscle areas and strengths. In these relationships, the index "a" of the elbow extensor muscles in both boys and girls as well as the knee extensor muscles of girls were approximately same values with the theoretical ones of 1.00. However, the index "a" of the elbow flexor muscles and the knee extensor muscles in both boys and girls were higher than the expected values, i.e. 1.434-1.605. In the elbow flexor and knee extensor muscles, muscle strength per unit of muscle area tended to increase with growth of body height. These results indicate that the development of muscle strengths at elbow flexion and knee extension precede to the growth of the muscle area. The reason for this extra increase of muscle strength for muscle area at elbow flexor as well as knee extensor muscles may due to neuromuscular adaptations to the daily use of these muscles.

View full abstract

The sex difference in body size and proportion was examined by comparing males and females of the same range of stature (170-179cm). Under the condition that there was no sex difference in stature, weight and Rohrer index, it was found that males were larger in sizes of the upper part of the trunk and upper limb girth, while females were larger in sizes of the pelvic part, length and girth of the lower limb, and subcutaneous fat thickness. No sex difference was observed in upper limb length. It was confirmed that on condition of the same stature, the lower limb was longer in females than in males.

View full abstract

In recent years, considerable attention has been paid on the physical characteristics of the Ainu and the Okinawa Islanders in connection with the origin of modern Japanese. In the present study, the metric traits of the dentition in the Tokunoshima Islanders, the Aogashima Islanders, the Okinawa Islanders and the Ainu were compared with each other and with those in the modern populations from Tokyo and Nagasaki, and the Aeneolithic Yayoi population. The first four populations have been isolated or at least nearly isolated for a long period from the populations of main island of Japan because of their geographic conditions.
As regards the shape factors in the dentition, the four isolated populations are closely related to each other, and they show closer affinities to the Tokyo population than to the Nagasaki and the Yayoi populations. The shape factor in the latter two populations shows similar trends but is quite different from that in the other four isolated populations as well as the Tokyo population. Using the principal component analysis method, it is elucidated that the relative size of premolars and incisors plays an important role in difference of the shape factor among the populations. Taking all the results obtained into account, the characteristics of the dentition in the isolated populations are likely under the same genetic control which is common to the Neolithic Jomon population. The origin and affinity of modern Japanese are discussed on the basis of such findings.

View full abstract

Unlike other mammals' four limbs, man's upper limbs and lower limbs have been clifferenciated by the functions they perform respectively. However, as in the case of tetrapods, the coordination of all the fourlimb movement is a no less important consideration when it concerns the running movement of man. Therefore, the motions of man's upper- and lower-limbs need to be seen as closely related to each other instead of as distinct from each other.
What this study attempts to do is to clarify some of the characteristics of man's fourlimb movement when he is engaged in long distance running. The method adopted here is to analyze the order and intervals of the four-limb movement as seen in some of the marathon runners who participated in the 21st Fukuoka International Marathon in December, 1986. The data, a recorded videotape of the distance runners, was taken from the pictures telecast on the spot by NHK. The study subject was J. Ikangaa (subj. IK), the champion of this marathon race. An analysis is made with a careful observation of the constellation of the moments when each of his four limbs-the left upper arm, the right upper arm, the left thigh and the right thigh-began to protract. Some of the other runners' movement are also analyzed in the same way so as to serve as data on the control group.
The results obtained are as follows:
1) The sequential movement of the four limbs observed among subj. IK and all the runners in the control group proved to be of the "forward cross type". The order of the four limb movement, according to the definition of the "forward cross type" (IWA- MOTO and TOMITA, 1966), can be described like this. As the right lower limb begins to move, the contralateral left upper limb begins to move slightly later, after which the left lower, then the right upper limb begins to move and this completed sequence of movement is repeated in a cyclic pattern. This seems to illustrate the fact that since the lower limbs support the body weight and serve as the major propulsive force in bipedal running, the movement of each of the lower limbs precedes that of the upper limb contralateral to it.
2) In the running movement of each marathon runner, the intervals of four-limb movement were bilaterally asymmetric, and the intervals between ipsilateral upper- and lower-limb movement of both sides were somewhat longer than those of the two diagonal set of limbs.
3) Each runner's movement time of one cycle running was nearly steady. But the rate of the movement intervals between two diagonal set of limbs varied considerably throughout the course of the marathon.
4) Subj. IK's pitch of running was high (188-203steps/min.). And the movement intervals between his two diagonal set of limbs were significantly smaller than those of the other runners. His movement pattern of four limbs in running often showed a considerable resemblance to the "diagonal synchronous type".
5) On the way between the points of 20km and 30 km of this marathon course, the movement intervals of subj. IK's two diagonal set of limbs showed a small difference as compared with those of ipsilateral upper and lower-limbs of both sides. But at the 15km point, and on the way between the points of 30km and 38km of this marathon course, subj. IK showed a considerable decrease in the rate of the movement intervals between his two diagonal set of limbs.

View full abstract

A Yayoi skeleton was found in a big Yayoi pottery at the Hatakenaka site, Uto City, Kumamoto Prefecture (Fig. 1). This Yayoi skeleton was judged to belong to a young adult female, and based on FUJII's formula, her stature was estimated to be 146.6cm. Her head was brachycephalic and her face was broad and slightly prognathic (Fig. 2). The PENROSE's shape distance (CZ2 in Table 2) indicates that the skull of this Yayoi skeleton resembles well the Jomon ancients in the Kumamoto region rather than the Yayoi ancients at the Doigahama site and in the North-western Kyushu.

View full abstract

The present auther found a human femur penetrated by a stone arrowhead at the No. 17 burial site in the Usu-10 Shellmound, Date, Hokkaido. According to the archaeological remains accompanying this bone, the burial was definitely dated as being the EpiJomon period (about 2000 B. P.).
The head of the right femur of this adult male was penetrated by an arrowhead made of obsidian. The base of the arrowhead was broken off just at the outer surface of the bone, but a C. T, image showed that the tip of it was buried about 14mm from the surface of the femoral head in the substantia spongiosa.
The angle of incidence indicated that the injured man must have been struk by an arrow on the backside of hip from an upper direction, supposing he had been standing. Provably he did not survive long after getting this wound, because there could be seenno healing process on the bony substance.
It was doubtful that the wound itself would have been fatal for him, because there existed no lethal arteries on the course of the arrowhead to reach his femur. However, we could not eliminate the possibility that the arrowhead was poisoned with an alkaloid, such as Aconitum, used in more recent times. Several possible causes for this injury were surmised as follows: hunting accident. battling, human sacrifice.

View full abstract

With the aid of DUBOIS' photographs, notes and descriptions it appeared possible to relocate the Wadjak locality and its surrounding sites, that were visited and excavated by DUBOIS in 1890. The Wadjak site was not destroyed in the course of quarrying marble, as has been noted by earlier authors. It still seems possible to excavate.

View full abstract