Humans have been deliberately altering their bodies for thousands of years, but there’s no denying that one of the most fascinating practices is skull modification. Throughout history, many cultures have artificially and deliberately altered the shape of their skulls. While this practice has been observed in other Asian countries, there is little evidence in Japan that people deliberately deform their skulls. There’s only one place this can happen: the island of Tanegashima, which dates from the 3rd to the 7th century AD.

However, unlike other examples, the possible changes are minor. Therefore, unseen, less intentional factors cannot be ignored. Now this has been confirmed by an in-depth analysis. The people who lived in what is now known as Hirota’s place tried to change the shapes of both male and female skulls.

“One site in Japan that has long been associated with skull deformation is the Hirota site on the Japanese island of Tanegashima in Kagoshima Prefecture. There at the end of the Yayoi period from the 3rd century AD to the 5th and 7th centuries AD, anthropologist Noriko Seguchi of Kyushu University said. “It’s a great burial place for the Hirota people who lived there.” in japan

“This place was excavated from 1957 to 1959 and again from 2005 to 2006. After initial excavations, we found remains with skull deformities characterized by a short head and a flattened posterior side of the skull, particularly the occipital bone and the back of the parietal bone. . bones”.

Hirota’s place is a large cemetery. Between the two excavations, hundreds of complete and partial skeletons and thousands of tombs were found, providing a vast corpus for the analysis of the Hirota culture. However, it was unclear whether the skulls were deliberately altered or whether the skull shape was the product of an unintentional process.

Seguchi and colleagues tried to unravel the mystery using a comprehensive comparative analysis of 2D images and 3D scans. Researchers added skulls of the Jomon people who lived in Kyushu before the Yayoi period; and a contemporary man from another island, Yayoi Doigahama, to study them for comparison. In total, the study included 19 Hirota skulls, 9 Jomon skulls, and 28 Doigahama skulls.

The researchers made a visual comparison between the groups and then did a statistical analysis of the shapes and contours of the skulls. They found distinctive features in the Hirota tortoises that corresponded to modifications not found in the Jomon and Doigahama tortoises. The ridges of their skulls were markedly flattened, and the skull had protrusions, asymmetries, and depressions that indicated an unnatural shape.

The most likely explanation the team found is cultural practices performed by the Khirota and not by other communities.

“Our results showed significant cranial morphology and significant statistical variability between Hirota individuals and Kyushu Jomon and Doigahama Yayoi specimens,” explains Seguchi.

“The presence of a flattened posterior part of the skull, characterized by changes in the occipital bone, with depressions in the parts of the skull that connect the bones, particularly the sagittal and lambdoid sutures, strongly suggests an intentional modification of the skull.”

It’s not clear why the Hirota people got into this practice of skull shaping, but it’s apparently not gender-based. The flattening of the skulls of both men and women suggests this may be related to an enhanced cultural identity – a way to stand out from other people nearby.

“Our findings add significantly to our understanding of the practice of deliberate skull modification in ancient populations,” says Seguchi. “We hope that further research in the region will offer more insight into the social and cultural significance of this practice in East Asia and around the world.” Source