The occlusal shapes of molars in Macaca fuscata fuscata were analyzed by the Procrustes and thin-plate spline analyses. The central pit was selected as the origin, the central groove as the direction of the X axis, and buccal and lingual grooves as the direction of the Y axis. Seventeen landmarks were measured in this initial coordinate system. Sexual differences in molar shape were very small, but centroid size was significantly different between the two sexes. Sexual differences in size and shape of the molars were more conspicuous in the later-developed molar than in the early-developed molar. There were small differences between M1 and M2 in shape, but M2 had significantly larger centroid size than M1. The shape change from M1 to M3 is represented by mesiodistal elongation and buccolingual compression of the distal half of the crown.

View full abstract

The authors would like to discuss the different bone regions of the many kinds of skeletal injuries caused by sharp weapons among four archaeological sites in Yuigahama area, Kamakura, Japan. The method of classifying the injuries in this study was essentially that described by Suzuki et al. (1956). The injuries were found in 6 out of 91 skeletons (6.6%) from Seiyoukan site, in 9 out of 667 skeletons (1.3%) from Yuigahama-minami site, and in 8 out of 592 skeletons (1.4%) from Cyuusei-Syuudan-Boti site. Suzuki et al. (1956) reported that the injuries were found in 186 out of 283 skeletons (65.7%) from Zaimokuza site. All of 6 injured skulls were the gashes in the skeletons of Seiyoukan site. The majority of the injuries in Zaimokuza skulls were of the scratches (82.3%), while only 2.7% was of the gashes. On the other hand, no injury of the scratch was found in both Seiyoukan and Yuigahama-minami individuals. Suzuki et al. (1956) assumed that the scratches were made in scraping the soft parts from the skull for some purpose after death. It is interesting that the injuries by the sword in the medieval Japanese skeletons of Zaimokuza site were distinguishable from those in the skeletons of other three archaeological sites in Yuigahama area, Kamakura.

View full abstract

In 2002, a human child skeleton of 6-7 years old was excavated from the Hamashiriya shell-mound, Higashidori-mura, Aomori Prefecture, which is located in the northernmost part of Honshu Island, Japan. The age of the site was evaluated at the medieval period (ca. 600-700 yrs BP) from the archaeological background. This study aims to examine the morphological characteristics of teeth, metric and nonmetric, of the Hamashiriya skeleton by comparing them with other populations in Japan, especially focusing on resemblance to the Ainu and the medieval Japanese. The tooth size of the Hamashiriya skeleton is in the range of both Ainu and medieval Japanese. Since there is no significant difference in dental size between the two control samples, it cannot be shown whether to resemble Ainu or medieval Japanese. In regard to non-metrical crown characteristics, however, the weakly-developed shovel-shaped upper incisors of the Hamashiriya child exhibit that it has close affinities to Jomon natives and Ainu. The presence of middle trigonid crest in the lower second deciduous molar, which frequently occurs in Jomon natives, also indicates the resemblance to Ainu.

View full abstract

As comparative data to be used in future anthropological studies, the cranial and postcranial measurements of the early modern Edo people from 19 archeological sites in the Tokyo urban area and the suburbs are presented here. Preliminary univariate analyses for the pooled samples of the Edo skulls only from the Tokyo urban area called "Gofunai" show that, although they do not resemble other comparative samples of the Edo period from Gofunai, both male and female pooled samples have very narrow faces. The average for bizygomatic breadth in males is closest to that for the Makinos, one of the feudal lord families of the Edo period, and the average in females is very close to those for the modern Hokuriku Japanese and the wives of Tokugawa Shogun (Generals) of the Edo period. This may indicate that the samples reported here contain many skeletons of wealthy people. Further, Mahalanobis’ D² distances show that the male pooled sample is closest to the modern Tohoku Japanese and the female one, to the modern Chugoku Japanese on the whole. In order to elucidate the causes for the large variation among skeletal samples from the Edo period as well as the microevolutionary processes of the modern Japanese, we need to make further efforts in collecting data not only on skeletal remains but also on environmental factors in each archeological site also in the future.

View full abstract