Papers by kazuhiro sakaue
Anthropological science, 2004
The talar joint facets of the calcaneus were classified into 5 types according to their configura... more The talar joint facets of the calcaneus were classified into 5 types according to their configuration: single facet type, continuous type, demarcated type, separate type, and no anterior facet type. Side association, side difference, sex difference, and age change in the incidence of occurrence of the 5 types, and association between the morphological classifications of the joint surfaces of the calcaneus and talus were investigated using a dissecting room Japanese skeletal series of known sex and age. Measurements were also taken for the length *ԇʄϥ_ϥ_ A_ n b _ɂள 980-8575 # AҤ
Anthropological science, 2013
The Edo-period (AD 1603-1867) human skeletal remains were excavated from the Unseiji site in Akas... more The Edo-period (AD 1603-1867) human skeletal remains were excavated from the Unseiji site in Akashi, Japan. The inscription of the gravestone suggested that the individual was a grandmother of a chief retainer of the Akashi clan. Because the accumulation of anthropological data for high-status persons in the Edo period is important for future studies, this study reports the basic description of this individual from the perspectives of morphology, paleopathology, and stable isotope analysis. The results obtained here are as follows. (1) The osteological diagnosis of age at death and sex revealed that this individual is a female whose age at death is 50 years and more. This is consistent with the record of the gravestone inscription. (2) This individual is characterized by the large maximum cranial length, the small basion-bregma height, and the large facial width and height, which are all different from the craniofacial features of the Tokugawa-shogunate family, the Edo-period commoners, and the modern Japanese. (3) The carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic analysis of this individual further revealed that the main source of proteins of this individual was fresh water fish or a combination of terrestrial and sea food.
This paper reports on a specific sharp force trauma observed in skeletons of the Edo period. A cu... more This paper reports on a specific sharp force trauma observed in skeletons of the Edo period. A cut mark can be recognized at the inferior margin of the pubic symphysis and on the posterior surface of the left innominate bone of No. 583 excavated from the Shyoken-ji site. The morphological features of this cut mark suggest that this individual suffered the removal of his penis. Some historical reports show the existence of penis removal in the Edo period. This is the first report strongly suggesting the penis removal in Japanese skeletal remains.
This study investigates the human-induced traumas in the skulls excavated from the Gokurakuji sit... more This study investigates the human-induced traumas in the skulls excavated from the Gokurakuji site macroscopically. Human-induced traumas were classified into four types, like gashes, incisions, scratches, and blunt force trauma. The results revealed that the number of skulls with gashes or incisions tended to be low (1 individual with a gash and 4 individuals with incisions out of 331 individuals) among those of previously reported populations in medieval and recent Japan. These results suggested that the skulls found on Gokurakuji site might be not have belonged to victims of the battle of Nitta Yoshisada in 1333. Additionally, the relatively high number of specimens with scratches (21 or 6.3%), also the second highest among the discussed sites, could have resulted from differences in diagnostic standards or differences in the purpose or method used for inducing scratches.
オランウータンを殺したのは誰?-野生オランウータンの頭骨を対象とした法医学的研究
The diagnosis of sex from an adult human skeleton is a fundamental task in the field of physical ... more The diagnosis of sex from an adult human skeleton is a fundamental task in the field of physical anthropology. In previous studies, the discriminant functions of the talus and calcaneus were shown to be useful tools for sexual assessment, giving accuracy ratios from 67 to 97%. The aim of this study is to apply these discriminant functions to modern Japanese with known sex, and to calculate new discriminant functions for the Japanese population using skeletal materials from 143 modern Japanese (72 males and 71 females). The total accuracy ratios of 7 published func- tions were below 70% and those of 5 functions were relatively high at 76-87%. The total accuracy ratios of the discriminant functions in this study ranged from 85% to 94%, which is somewhat higher than those of previous studies.
The diagnosis of sex and age-at-death from the adult human skeleton is very important in the fiel... more The diagnosis of sex and age-at-death from the adult human skeleton is very important in the field of physical and forensic anthropology for the identification of a human body. Three studies of the diagnosis of the patella reporting an accuracy of approximately 85% have been pub- lished; however there is no study about diagnosis of the age-at-death on the basis of morphology of the patella. The purpose of this study is to calculate the discriminant function for sex in recent Japanese skeletons and develop a new method for age estimation by analysis of the patella. In this study, 283 recent Japanese skeletal materials (183 males and 100 females) were used. The correct- ly classified percentages of the discriminant functions with all the variables reached at 85%. How- ever, the age estimation by analysis of the patella was not as reliable as that by the analysis of pubic symphysis or cranial sutures. It can be said that the age estimation by analysis of the patella is rather vague; th...
After the late 17th century, the Edo common people were buried in two kinds of cof- fins: a woode... more After the late 17th century, the Edo common people were buried in two kinds of cof- fins: a wooded coffin orhayaokeand a ceramic coffin orkamekan.� The townsman or samurai of the lower class were placed in the former type and the samurai of the lower-middle class in the latter. This paper investigates the morphological difference in skulls of those in kamekan and haya- oke coffins. Employing univariate and multivariate analyses, it statistically details the differences between the two groups. TheKamekangroup is characterized by a short head, long face, high orbit, and weak prognathous, which make them quite similar to the specimens classified by Suzuki (1985) as Type II Edo common people. With principal component analysis, the morphological cline can be recognized from theHayaokegroup toDaimyo (load of ___domain)� orOoku (wives of Shoguns) � groups in both sex.
This is the report of some sharp force wounds in skeletal remains excavated from the burial of th... more This is the report of some sharp force wounds in skeletal remains excavated from the burial of the Edo era. Two individuals were contained, a young-adult male individual was almost all bones, and another young male individual was restricted to a part of trunk bones. Some verte- brae and rib bones of both individual were cut off completely in horizontal direction at least seven times for young-adult individual and five times for young individual, respectively. These unique wounds must be made with "tameshi-giri" procedure that was the performance test of a Japanese sword and as well as a part of legitimate criminal justice procedure. Key word : skeletal trauma, Japanese sword, cut mark, Tameshi-giri
Although significant differences in craniofacial morphology can be recognized among the townsmen,... more Although significant differences in craniofacial morphology can be recognized among the townsmen, the lower-middle-class samurai, and the higher-class samurai (including shoguns wives and territorial lords) from the middle-late Edo period (Sakaue, 2012), there has been no study on secular changes in craniofacial morphology during the Edo era. The purpose of this study is to investigate the morphological differences in the skull between the early Edo period and the middle-late Edo period. The subjects included 44 males and 22 females from the early Edo period, and 181 males and 118 females from the middle-late Edo period. A total of 67 measurements were examined, and multivariate analyses were employed to test the significant differences between the early Edo period skulls and the middle-late Edo period skulls. The results showed that the cranial morphology of the early Edo period was similar to that of the middle-late Edo period townsmen, but apparently different from that of the mi...
Several studies have reported the incidence of the intermetatarsal articular facet, which is occa... more Several studies have reported the incidence of the intermetatarsal articular facet, which is occasionally observed on the lateral side at the base of the first metatarsal bone, in some human populations. However, these reports did not provide the basic characteristics of the populations such as information on sex, age, laterality, and ethnicity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the incidence of this facet in several populations of different regions, eras, and ethnicity (European Americans, African Americans, modern Japanese, Kamakaura-period Japanese, Edo-period Japan- ese, and Jomon people) in order to determine the interpopulation, sexual, and left-right differences in this regard and to discuss the causative factors for its occurrence. The presence of this facet was confirmed in all the populations studied. Significant intergroup differences were observed among the European American, African American, and Japanese males and between the European Ameri- can and Edo-perio...
The recovery and repatriation of the remains of Japanese war dead and the roles of physical anthropologists
Forensic Science International, 2021
During and after World War II, around 2.4 million Japanese died overseas. The bodies of nearly ha... more During and after World War II, around 2.4 million Japanese died overseas. The bodies of nearly half of them are still missing as they remain in the field where they fell and have never been repatriated. The tasks of recovering and repatriating the remains of Japanese war dead started in 1953 by the former Ministry of Health and Welfare, and are now carried out by the Social Welfare and War Victims' Relief Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW). In 2016, the "Act on Promoting the Recovery of the Remains of Japanese War Dead (Act No. 12 of 2016)" was enacted. The Act designates Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 (from April 2016 to March 2017) to FY 2024 as the period of intensive implementation and stipulates that the state shall establish a process to promote the identification of the war dead. In line with this Act, physical anthropologists were employed as full-time experts by the MHLW to conduct scientific analysis on the remains in the field, and since then, they have accompanied all overseas delegations for repatriation. The authors of this paper have been sent to the sites in the partner countries overseas such as the former Soviet Union, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands, and nationally to Ioto (Iwo Jima) to analyze the minimum number of individuals (MNI), ancestry, age at death, and sex of the remains. Along with the morphological investigations, DNA analyses of mitochondrial polymorphism and Y-chromosomal/autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) have been applied for estimation of the ancestry and identification of the individual. By narrowing down the possible candidates based on the historical records such as name list of the missing, if individual identification of the remains is achieved, the remains are returned to the bereaved families, and if not, they are placed in the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo to rest in peace. Also, the implementation of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analyses with next generation sequencing (NGS) for ancestry is under discussion. This paper provides an overview of the process of recovery and identification of the missing bodies from World War II in Japan.
Anthropological Science, 2020
We examined fragmentary human skeletal remains from Escalon Cave near Surigao City, northeastern ... more We examined fragmentary human skeletal remains from Escalon Cave near Surigao City, northeastern Mindanao, the Philippines, with respect to the morphology of bones and teeth, radiocarbon dating, and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroup. These remains contained parts of the left temporal bone, the right humerus, the right femur, the upper right first and second premolars, and the first molar. They are presumed to belong to an early-middle adult male, whom we named the Escalon Man. Using the femur sample, we estimated the 14 C date of the individual at 2692 ± 39 years BP (uncalibrated). His stature, estimated from the maximum femur length, was about 170 cm-this makes him much taller than the Aeta and the Mamanwa, who are indigenous negrito hunter-gatherers of the Philippines. The femur is sturdy and shows well-developed muscle markings. Numerous narrow grooves on the humerus were found in close proximity to each other, but we could not prove whether these are artificial cut marks made by humans with sharp-edged tools or scratches from some non-human entity. The mesiodistal crown diameters of the molar and premolars are large and resemble those of native Oceanians. Analysis of mtDNA haplogroup was carried out using a DNA sample extracted from a molar. A next-generation sequencer was used to determine the nucleotide sequences of the mtDNA genome. The results indicated that the Escalon Man belongs to the haplogroup E1a1a, which is known to be the marker of Austronesian-speaking agriculturist populations that originated in Taiwan and spread southwards through the Philippines to the Western Pacific, since about 4000 BP. Thus, the Escalon Man was likely a member of the late Neolithic or early Metal Age agriculturist peoples who settled in northeastern Mindanao and who may be the ancestors of the territory's present-day occupants, such as the Manobo.
Anthropological Science (Japanese Series), 2018
The rate of the congenital missing of third molars was examined in skulls excavated from archaeol... more The rate of the congenital missing of third molars was examined in skulls excavated from archaeological sites in Edo era. The number of skulls was 196 which were derived from ceramic coffins (high-ranked warri
Anthropological Science (Japanese Series), 2017
This paper reports human skeletal remains excavated from the Shimomotoyama Rock Shelter site, Sas... more This paper reports human skeletal remains excavated from the Shimomotoyama Rock Shelter site, Sasebo, Nagasaki, in 1970 by Masaru Aso and his colleagues. The excavated human remains include two individuals *国立科学博物館人類研究部
Anthropological Science (japanese Series), 2004
Incidences of the "Separate Type" of anterior and middle talar joint surfaces were compared betwe... more Incidences of the "Separate Type" of anterior and middle talar joint surfaces were compared between Jomon, Yayoi, Hokkaido Ainu, and modern main-islands Japanese calcaneal samples. The results showed that 1) In modern Japanese samples, incidences of this trait ranged between 34.7% and 39.8%, and no regional difference in incidence was observed; 2) While the trait incidence in the whole Jomon series was 28.4%, an evident re-*ԇʄϥ_ϥ_ A_ n b _ɂள 980-8575 # AҤ
Anthropological Science, 2006
Kinship analysis was performed on a Jomon double burial from the Usu-Moshiri site in Hokkaido, Ja... more Kinship analysis was performed on a Jomon double burial from the Usu-Moshiri site in Hokkaido, Japan, using odontometric data in conjunction with mitochondrial DNA data. Q-mode correlations with respect to tooth crown measurements indicated a low similarity between the two adult female skeletons found from this burial. Moreover, mitochondrial DNA analysis revealed that these individuals were not maternal relatives. Consequently, judging from both morphological and genetic evidence, these skeletons are more likely to have been unrelated rather than consanguineous. This is the first report that provides anthropological evidence for a lack of kinship of skeletons discovered from a Jomon double burial.
[Evaluation of the sexing methods using the cranial traits in the Japanese population]
Nihon hōigaku zasshi = The Japanese journal of legal medicine, 2009
Nowadays, various morphological traits are routinely used for sexing the human skulls. The effica... more Nowadays, various morphological traits are routinely used for sexing the human skulls. The efficacy and reliability of sexing methods based on these traits in the Japanese population have not been systematically investigated. For sexing the skull, the authors established the well-defined criteria for sexing skulls by using the following five morphological traits; (1) the prominence and texture of the supraorbital arc; (2) the sharpness of the supraorbital margin; (3) the relative size of the zygomatic arc and the existence of a depression on it; (4) the size of the mastoid process and the existence of the supramastoid crest; (5) the prominence of the external occipital crest and the external occipital protuberance, and then evaluated their availability by using 313 recent Japanese skulls (205 males and 108 females) with known sex and age-at-death. We found that the supraorbital arc had the best accuracy rate (80.5%) followed by the mastoid process (78.6%). In cases wherein these two...
[Verification of the method for estimating age-at-death using maxillary suture obliteration in Japanese]
Nihon hōigaku zasshi = The Japanese journal of legal medicine, 2007
The method for estimating age-at-death of human skeletal remains based on the morphological chang... more The method for estimating age-at-death of human skeletal remains based on the morphological changes of maxillary sutures is widely accepted in Japan. This method is based on the work of Kamijo (1949), which describes the age-related alternations in the morphology of maxillary sutures in Japanese population. However, from the modern anthropological viewpoint, Kamijo's report has some serious flaws in the definition of the morphology of the sutures as well as in the quality and quantity of the samples. Despite these problems, no verification has been conducted for the validity of estimating age-at-death based on his data. Recently, Mann et al. (1991) published a new method for estimating skeletal age based on the progressive obliteration of maxillary sutures. However, there has been no report that verified the effectiveness of their method in Japanese. In the present study, we re-examined the age-related alternations in the morphologies of maxillary sutures in Japanese and assesse...
Anthropological Science (Japanese Series), 2004
In order to discuss the characteristics and the significance of the "Banjo-shuseki" burials of th... more In order to discuss the characteristics and the significance of the "Banjo-shuseki" burials of the latest Jomon period, two assemblages of the Hobi shell mound, Aichi Prefecture, were investigated. These consisted of 87 (Shuseki-1) and 52 (Shuseki-B) human bone specimens. Element compositions, minimum number of individuals, and age representation of the Banjo-shuseki remains were determined. Sex composition was estimated from femurs, which were the most numerous element in each of the Banjo-shuseki burials. In determining sex, we constructed discriminant functions from femoral metric data of the individually buried human skeletons from the same Hobi site, for which reliable sex identification was possible from sufficiently preserved innominate bones. We then applied the functions to the Banjo-shuseki human femurs. We found that, in particular, femoral cortical area at midshaft was an excellent indicator of sex. Bone element compositions of the Hobi Banjo-shuseki burials were biased toward a higher representation of the lower limb bones. The number of individuals included was determined to be more than 14 in the Shuseki-1 burial (4 adult male, 6 adult female, 1 adult sex-unknown, 3 infant/juvenile) and more than 6 in the Shuseki-B burial (3 adult male, 2 adult female, 1 infant/juvenile). The morphological characteristics and mechanical robusticity of the Banjo-shuseki skeletal remains were compared with the condition seen in the individual burials from the same Hobi site. We focused on the femur, for which a sufficient number of specimens enabled statistical comparisons. In males, a significant difference was found in the pilasteric index between the Banjo-shuseki and individual burial remains, the former characterized by an extreme degree of pilaster development. Otherwise, in both sexes, significant differences were not found between burial types, either in femoral size or midshaft robusticity. The known bias in temporal and regional occurrences of the Banjo-shuseki burials and the elemental compositions and relatively large number of individuals represented in the Hobi examples of the present study suggest that these burials were based on intentional re-excavation and re-burial. Several explanations are possible for the prevalence of strongly pilasteric femurs in the Hobi Banjo-shuseki remains. One possibility is that the Banjo-shuseki burials might have been applied to a group of people with specific rank, activity role, or genealogical relationship.
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Papers by kazuhiro sakaue