Cranial adjustment is a form of body alteration where the head of an individual is pressed or bound, typically at an early age, to completely warp the skull. The practice predates written history, and researchers theorize that it was carried out to represent group affiliation or show social status.
3D pictures of skulls excavated from the Hirota site and the Doigahama website that the researchers utilized to compare skull morphology in between the two groups. Notice that the skull from the Hirota site (right) has actually a more flattened back of the head compared to the skulls from the Doigahama site (left) indicating intentional cranial modification. Credit: Seguchi Lab/Kyushu University
” One area in Japan that has long been related to cranial contortion is the Hirota site on the Japanese island of Tanegashima, in Kagoshima Prefecture. This is a large-scale burial website of the Hirota individuals who lived there throughout completion of the Yayoi Period, around the 3rd century CE, to the Kofun Period, in between the 5th and 7th century CE.” describes Noriko Seguchi of Kyushu Universitys Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies who led the study.
” This website was excavated from 1957 to 1959 and again from 2005 to 2006. From the initial excavation, we found stays with cranial contortions defined by a short head and a flattened back of the skull, particularly the occipital bone and posterior parts of the parietal bones.”
However, while the site provided an ideal opportunity to study the phenomenon, it had actually remained unclear whether these cranial adjustments had actually been deliberate, or were simply the unintended result of other habits.
To perform the study, the research study group used a hybrid method, making use of 2D images to evaluate the shape of the skulls lays out, along with 3D scans of their surface area. The group also compared crania data from other archeological websites in Japan, such as the Doigahama Yayoi people in Western Yamaguchi, and the Kyushu Island Jomon individuals, who were the hunter-gatherer predecessors to the Yayoi individuals. Together with visually examining skull morphology, the group gathered all this information and statically analyzed the contours and shapes between the skulls.
Photo of the Hirota website today in Tanegashima, Japan. Each marker indicates where burials were discovered along with the notes on their sex and approximate age. Credit: The Kyushu University Museum
” Our results revealed distinct cranial morphology and considerable analytical irregularity in between the Hirota people with the Kyushu Island Jomon and Doigahama Yayoi samples,” continues Seguchi. “The existence of a flattened back of the skull characterized by modifications in the occipital bone, in addition to depressions in parts of the skull that links the bones together, particularly the lambdoidal and sagittal sutures, strongly recommended intentional cranial modification.”
The inspirations behind this practice remain uncertain, however the researchers assume that the Hirota people warped their crania to protect group identity and possibly facilitate the long-distance trade of shellfish, as supported by historical evidence found at the website.
” Our findings significantly contribute to our understanding of the practice of intentional cranial adjustment in ancient societies,” concludes Seguchi. “We hope that further investigations in the region will provide additional insights into the social and cultural significance of this practice in East Asia and the world.”
Referral: “Investigating deliberate cranial adjustment: A hybridized two-dimensional/three-dimensional research study of the Hirota site, Tanegashima, Japan” by Noriko Seguchi, James Frances Loftus III, Shiori Yonemoto and Mary-Margaret Murphy, 16 August 2023, PLOS ONE.DOI: 10.1371/ journal.pone.0289219.
The research study was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
A photograph of the ancient human remains discovered at the Hirota ruins. A notable attribute of the remains is the using of many shell devices, indicative of the culture and trade of the area at the time. Credit: The Kyushu University Museum
An international group of scientists has discovered proof suggesting that the Hirota neighborhood, residing on Tanegashima Island in southern Japan from the late Yayoi era to the Kofun age (3rd to 7th century CE), practiced cranial adjustment.
Scientists from Kyushu University and the University of Montana have unveiled brand-new insights into the ancient practice of intentional cranial adjustment. This phenomenon, observed in different ancient civilizations worldwide, was also discovered among the Hirota people.
These occupants of Tanegashima, a southern Japanese island, practiced cranial modification in between the 3rd and 7th centuries CE, according to a report recently released in PLOS ONE. Interestingly, the research reveals no noteworthy distinctions in between the genders, recommending that both males and females engaged in this practice.
A picture of the ancient human remains found at the Hirota ruins. 3D images of skulls excavated from the Hirota site and the Doigahama site that the researchers used to compare skull morphology between the two groups. Notification that the skull from the Hirota website (right) has a more flattened back of the head compared to the skulls from the Doigahama website (left) indicating intentional cranial modification.” One place in Japan that has long been associated with cranial contortion is the Hirota site on the Japanese island of Tanegashima, in Kagoshima Prefecture. Photograph of the Hirota site today in Tanegashima, Japan.
