Palaeolithic Human Skeletons in Japan

last revised: October 27, 2003
by Charles T. Keally

Palaeolithic Human Skeletons in Japan

Prefecture	Name	Date	Comments
Okinawa	Yamashita-cho Cave 1	ca. 32 ka	main island; 1 child about 6 years (Matsuura 2001) resemble both archaic Homo and H. sapiens (Baba 2001c)
	Pinza'abu	ca. 26 ka?	Miyako Island; bone fragments (Matsuura 2001) similar to Minatogawa (Baba 2001a)
	Minatogawa	17-18 ka	main island; 5-9 individuals (Matsuura 2001) early modern humans? (Baba 2001a) Minatogawa no. 1 bears little resemblance to Peking Upper Cave no. 101 or Liujiang; it shows some resemblance to Wajak no 1, and is close to Jomon (Baba 2001d)
	Jobu Minatogawa	late Late Pleistocene 12 ka (Baba 2001c)	main island; bone fragments (Matsuura 2001) resembles Middle-Latest Jomon (Baba 2001c)
	Shimojibaru Cave	ca. 15-16 ka? 15.2 ka?	Kume Island; complete infant (Matsuura 2001)
	Oyama Cave	late Upper Pleistocene?	main island; bone fragments (Matsuura 2001) a bit archaic in form? (Baba 2001a)
	Momohara Cave	late Upper Pleistocene? (Medieval or Edo?) Holocene?	main island; bone fragments (Matsuura 2001) no especially old characteristics (Baba 2001a)
	Kadahara Cave	late Upper Pleistocene?	Ie Island; bone fragments (Matsuura 2001) skull a bit thick (Baba 2001a)
	Gohezu Cave	late Upper Pleistocene?	Ie Island; bone fragments (Matsuura 2001) no especially old characteristics (Baba 2001a)
	Iwado	about the level of AT ca. 24 ka [uncal.]	skull fragments and teeth (Matsuura 2001)
Oita	Hijiridake	probably Holocene?	skull fragments (Matsuura 2001) no primitive characterisitcs (Baba 2001a) resembles Edo Period humans (Baba 2001b)
Tottori	Yomigahama	late Upper Pleistocene?	jaw fragments (Matsuura 2001) Jomon in form? (Baba 2001a)
Toyama	Tomari Cave	end Pleistocene? to Early Holocene?	skull and bone fragments (Matsuura 2001) resembles Earliest Jomon humans (Baba 2001a)
Hyogo	Akashi	Holocene?	resembles modern humans (Baba 2001a, 2001b)
Aichi	Ushikawa	Late Pleistocene	bone fragments (Matsuura 2001) not human (Baba 2001a, 2001b)
Shizuoka	Mikkabi	<18 ka some bones Earliest Jomon	skull and bone fragments (Matsuura 2001) resembles Jomon humans (Baba 2001a) radiocarbon dated to Jomon (Baba 2001b)
Shizuoka	Hamakita	lower ca. 18 ka upper ca. 14 ka	(Matsuura 2001) resembles Jomon humans (Baba 2001a)
Tochigi	Kuzuu	Holocene 500 years old	bone fragments (Matsuura 2001) 4 human and 4 animals (Baba 2001a) 2 of the human fossils have radiocarbon ages of 500 years (Baba 2001b)

References

Baba, Hisao. (2001a). Kyusekki Iseki Mondai no Hihan to Koshinsei Jinkotsu Mondai no Genjo (Criticism of the Palaeolithic Sites Problem and the Present Status of Pleistocene Human Skeletons). Shinpojiumu: Zenki Kyusekki Mondai o Kangaeru (Happo Yoshi) (Symposium on the Fake Problem of the Early Palaeolithic in Japan [Resumes]). Sakura: Kokuritsu Rekishi Minzoku Hakkubutsukan Harunari Hideji Kenkyushitsu, pp. 61-75.
Baba, Hisao. (2001b). Gimon Kaseki Jinkotsu no Kensho (Verification of Unconfirmed Fossils). "Nihon-jin Harukana Tabi" Ten (Long Journey to Prehistoric Japan). Tokyo: Kokuritsu Kagaku Hakubutsukan, NHK, and NHK Productions, pp. 104-107.
Baba, Hisao. (2001c). Nihon no Koshinsei Jinkotsu (Pleistocene Hominids of Japan). "Nihon-jin Harukana Tabi" Ten (Long Journey to Prehistoric Japan). Tokyo: Kokuritsu Kagaku Hakubutsukan, NHK, and NHK Productions, pp. 52-53.
Baba, Hisao. (2001d). Minatogawa-jin wa Doko kara Kita ka (Where Did the Minatogawa Hominids Come from?). "Nihon-jin Harukana Tabi" Ten (Long Journey to Prehistoric Japan). Tokyo: Kokuritsu Kagaku Hakubutsukan, NHK, and NHK Productions, pp. 54-55.
Matsuura, Hideji. (2001). Nihon no "Kyusekki Jidai Jinkotsu" no Nendai (Dating of Japanese "Palaeolithic Human Skeletons"). Shinpojiumu: Zenki Kyusekki Mondai o Kangaeru (Happo Yoshi) (Symposium on the Fake Problem of the Early Palaeolithic in Japan [Resumes]). Sakura: Kokuritsu Rekishi Minzoku Hakkubutsukan Harunari Hideji Kenkyushitsu, pp. 76-79.
Matsuura, Hideji, and Kondo Megumi. (2001). Nihon no "Kyusekki Jidai Jinkotsu" no Nendai -- Kenkyu no Genjo (Chronologies of "Palaeolithic Hominid Remains" of Japan: Issues of Current Research). "Nihon-jin Harukana Tabi" Ten (Long Journey to Prehistoric Japan). Tokyo: Kokuritsu Kagaku Hakubutsukan, NHK, and NHK Productions, pp. 108-109.