Jomon Population Research Articles

Typicality probabilities of Late Pleistocene human fossils from East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australia: implications for the Jomon population in Japan

The question of the origins of the Jomon population is examined by Campbell’s predictive approach, a method using ‘typicality probability’ which is currently the best way of comparing a single specimen with a reference population. Among the five Pleistocene fossils compared with a Late/Final Jomon sample from the Tohoku district, the analysis based on 13 cranial measurements revealed that Keilor from Australia was more likely a member of the Jomon population than Minatogawa I from Okinawa and Liujiang from southern China. Although, from a chronological viewpoint, it is not possible for Keilor to be an ancestor of the Jomon, these results suggest that the Australian Late Pleistocene population, or their ancestors, should also be considered when seeking the origins of the Jomon.

Endocranial restoration and volume estimation of the Minatogawa IV cranium using micro-CT and 3D printer systems

The Minatogawa IV cranium is one of three well-preserved Late Pleistocene Homo sapiens crania from the Minatogawa fissure site, Okinawa Island. This cranium is more damaged than Minatogawa I and exhibits some clear post-mortem distortion. We reconstructed the endocranium of this specimen after correcting the distortion and breakage by combining digital and manual restoration procedures, and established a reliable estimate for its endocranial volume (ECV) to be around 1170 cc. As with the case of Minatogawa I, this result confirmed the suggestion of previous work that the Minatogawa series has small ECVs compared with modern Japanese and Jomon populations. Some dental and osteological conditions, such as heavy tooth wear as well as Harris’s lines of the long bones, suggest a possibility that the small ECV of the Minatogawa people as well as their short stature might have been caused in part by a stunting of growth due to undernutrition and possibly a microevolutionary adaptation to the food-limited insular environments.

Nonmetric cranial variation of Jomon Japan: Implications for the evolution of eastern Asian diversity

The purpose of this study is to investigate the origin and expansion of the Jomon population, the Neolithic inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago, and peopling East/Northeast Asian region through a global comparison between the prehistoric samples from around the world. R-matrix approach was applied to 20 nonmetric cranial traits for assessing the population structure and history of the Jomon. Pattern of ancient group relationships on a global scale was presented using network splitstree applied to distance matrix transformed from the R-matrix. The phenotypic variation is largest in Hokkaido region, followed by the regions of eastern Japan. The Chugoku region, the southwestern part of Japan, shows larger variance than eastern Japan. Global analyses including samples from Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, West Asia, Europe, and North Africa dating roughly to the same chronological periods as those of the Jomon groups, indicate northern affinities of the Jomon and the distinction between Southeast and Northeast Asian series. The Jomon ancestors of the northern part of Japan might have expanded southward to Honshu Island with a series of bottlenecks. A possible gene flow from outside source or heterogeneous origin of western Jomon group was, at the same time, suggested. The network relationships of the Jomon with Northeast Asians and, to a lesser extent, with Southeast Asians based on the splitstree analysis may allow us to suppose that the Jomon may be one of the key populations for the studies of the evolution of eastern Asian diversity.

Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis on the diet of Jomon populations from two coastal regions of Japan

We report on a stable isotope paleodietary reconstruction of Jomon populations in Japan during the Middle to Final Jomon period (ca. 5000–2300 years BP), focusing on dietary differences within and among populations and between regions. Carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis was performed on human and faunal bone collagen from six coastal sites along the Inland Sea in the Sanyo (Ota, Funamoto, and Tsukumo) region and along Mikawa Bay and the Pacific Ocean in the Tokai (Kawaji, Yoshigo, and Inariyama) region. We found that carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were positively correlated, indicating that the Jomon people consumed a mixed diet of marine (shellfish and marine fish) and terrestrial (C 3 plants and terrestrial mammals) protein. In the Ota samples (n = 25, during the Middle Jomon period, 5000–4000 years BP), sex was one of the main reasons for the intra-population dietary variation. Ota males consumed greater amounts of marine food, while Ota females consumed greater amounts of terrestrial food; these dissimilar diets may have been related to the sexual division of labor. Significant inter-population dietary differences were found, which may have been related to differences in age or site location. Notably, the two coastal regions showed clear isotopic differences. Nitrogen isotope ratios of individuals from the Sanyo region were significantly higher than ratios of individuals from the Tokai region. The individuals in the Sanyo region might have consumed a diet high in aquatic foods, particularly high trophic level marine fish, whereas the individuals in the Tokai region might have consumed a lot of marine shellfish. Another possible reason for the regional isotopic difference might have been different baseline of nitrogen isotope ratios of the marine ecosystems.

Japanese map of the earwax gene frequency: a nationwide collaborative study by Super Science High School Consortium

Wet/dry types of earwax are determined by the c.538G>A single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the ABCC11 gene; GA and GG genotypes give the wet type and AA the dry type. The Japanese population may have a dual structure comprising descendants of mixtures between the ancient 'Jomon' and 'Yayoi' populations. We hypothesized that the dry type was introduced by the Yayoi people to the Jomon population where the wet type was predominant, and as the mixture of the two populations has not yet been complete, the allele-A frequency (f(A)) would even now be higher along a putative Yayoi man's peopling route within Japanese islands. To know the frequency, a nationwide Super Science High School (SSH) Consortium collected 1963 fingernail samples of pupils/students from at least one high school/university in every prefecture. All further procedures, DNA extraction, SNP genotyping and gene frequency estimation, were carried out by trained SSH pupils. Although the allele-A frequency varied among the 47 prefectures, the Gifu/Kyoto and Okinawa prefectures showed the highest and lowest values, respectively. Areas with high frequencies included Northeastern Kyushu, Northern Shikoku and Kinki districts, showing a belt-like zone, whereas those with low frequencies other than Okinawa were the Southwestern Kyushu, Hiroshima prefecture and Tohoku districts. The f(A) value in Kinki district was statistically higher than those in prefectures westward and east-northward from it. The result may provide another line of evidence supporting a possible route of the Yayoi-man's peopling in Japan.

Three-dimensional Geometric Morphometric Study of Craniofacial Variations in Jomon Populations

津雲，吉胡貝塚出土の縄文時代人計19個体と現代日本人計22個体の頭蓋骨の形態変異を，3次元幾何学的形態測定学に基づいて分析し，従来の頭蓋計測値に基づく多変量解析の結果を再現するか，また今まで報告されていない新たな形態変異を検出するか検証を試みた。まず，CTスキャナを用いて頭蓋骨の精密3次元立体形状モデルを構築し，計35点の解剖学的標識点の3次元座標を取得した。そして縄文時代人と現代日本人の頭蓋形状の変異傾向を，幾何学的測定形態学に基づいて分析した。分析は，35標識点すべてを用いるが縄文時代人の個体数が少ない分析Iと，個体数は多いが遺存の悪い部位を除いた計23標識点のみを用いる分析IIに分けて行った。その結果，現代日本人は，津雲貝塚人と比較して相対的に上顔高と鼻高が高く，脳頭蓋幅と頬骨弓幅が狭く，口蓋と頭蓋底が下方に位置し，顔面が立体的で歯槽性突顎の傾向があることが示され，幾何学的形態測定学に基づく分析結果は，従来手法に基づく先行研究の結果と基本的には一致することが明らかとなった。また，現代日本人の頭蓋骨では，津雲貝塚人と比較してラムダが相対的に前方にイニオンが後方に位置し，後頭鱗が相対的により垂直になる傾向があることが新たに検出された。幾何学的形態測定学に基づく古人骨の分析は，破損・欠損のため解析に含められる標本が必然的に限られてしまう問題があるが，形態の変異傾向を統計学的に抽出し，また視覚的に表示する上で有効であることが確認された。

The Jomon in early agriculture discourse: issues arising from Matsui, Kanehara and Pearson

Two articles in World Archaeology (2006) raise issues regarding the long-standing classification of the Jomon as collectors and affluent foragers. Crops and food production have not played a significant role in understanding Jomon settlement systems, population density, complexity and their regional variation despite the reports of crops from numerous Jomon sites. A misunderstanding of one of my publications provides an opportunity to assess why the Jomon is understood the way it is in some circles. I also critically assess the affluent forager/collector model and the role that analogies with the Ainu play in the model. Agricultural origins theory tends to eschew classifying people as hunter-gatherers/foragers or agricultural and I argue that such should be the case for the Jomon. By acknowledging a significant role for food/resource production among Jomon populations we may arrive at a better understanding of Jomon populations and how they interacted with the environment. The comparative potential of the Jomon in the context of agricultural archaeology can also be realized.

Variability in stable isotope ratios in two Late-Final Jomon communities in the Tokai coastal region and its relationship with sex and ritual tooth ablation

We analyzed stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in a sample of human and nonhuman mammal bones excavated from the Yoshigo and Inariyama shell mounds of the Late–Final Jomon periods in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, with a view to determining individual dietary differences. To investigate possible reasons for the dietary variations identified, we related isotope ratios to sex and tooth ablation patterns. At both sites, large intra-site variations in δ13C and δ15N values were found, compared with other Jomon populations previously studied, suggesting higher than usual levels of dietary variability, and at both sites there was a positive correlation between δ13C and δ15N values. The diet of the Jomon people at both these sites had two main protein sources: marine (marine finfish and shellfish) and terrestrial (C3 plants and terrestrial mammals) protein. The intra-site variability is probably explained by consumption of these resources in different proportions. Analysis of the Yoshigo shell mound data indicated that sex is one of the factors determining dietary difference. It was also found that individual differences in diet in Yoshigo males are greater than in females. This pattern was repeated in the Inariyama shell mound data. Dietary differences were found to be related to ritual tooth ablation characteristics, particularly in males. At Inariyama, type 4I ritual tooth ablation was associated with comparatively greater dependency on terrestrial resources, while type 2C tooth ablation was associated with greater dependency on marine resources. This may indicate that type 4I males engaged predominantly in hunting, and type 2C males in fishing, as a means of food acquisition. These results are possibly the earliest evidence of occupational differentiation in the Jomon people.

Sailing up the Map: A re-examination of constructs of Javaneseness in the light of new evidence

While Java's culture has extended to other parts of Indonesia and mainland Southeast Asian countries (on Angkor under Jayavarman II, for example, and on the Chams) it exerted even stronger influence on a more distant country, Japan. The encounter pre-dated Indianisation and was between the Jomon population of Japan – a decentralised population living by hunting, fishing, and gathering – and wet-rice growing Javanese immigrants who had an advanced and much more centralised political organisation and sophisticated technology, art and culture. We need thus to adjust our ideas about the antiquity of Javaneseness and the length of time this civilisation has been in contact with other cultures.

Paleodemography of a medieval population in Japan: Analysis of human skeletal remains from the Yuigahama-minami site

The purpose of this study is to obtain demographic data regarding the medieval population buried at the Yuigahama-minami site in Kamakura, Japan, and to detect a secular trend in the life expectancy of Japanese population over the last several thousand years. The Yuigahama-minami skeletal sample consists of 260 individuals, including 98 subadults (under 20 years old) and 162 adults. A Yuigahama-minami abridged life-table analysis yielded a life expectancy at birth (e0) of 24.0 years for both sexes, a life expectancy at age 15 years (e15) of 15.8 years for males, and an e15 of 18.0 years for females. The reliability of the estimated e0 was confirmed by analysis of the juvenility index. Demographic profiles comparing the Yuigahama-minami series with other skeletal series indicated that both the survivorship curve and life expectancy of the Yuigahama-minami sample are similar to those of the Mesolithic-Neolithic Jomon population, but are far lower than those of the early modern Edo population. These comparisons strongly suggest that life expectancy changed little over the thousands of years between the Mesolithic-Neolithic Jomon and medieval periods, but then improved remarkably during the few hundred years between the medieval period and early modern Edo period. The short-lived tendency of the Yuigahama-minami sample does not contradict the archaeological hypothesis of unsanitary living conditions in medieval Kamakura. This is the first investigation to address the demographic features of a medieval population in Japan, and will help refine our understanding of long-term trends in the demographic profiles of inhabitants of Japan.

Isotopic evidence of inland-water fishing by a Jomon population excavated from the Boji site, Nagano, Japan

This study presents the results of isotopic analyses on prehistoric human bones excavated from the Boji site, Nagano, Japan, which dates to the Late/Latest Jomon period. The results of δ 13C and δ 15N values of the Boji Jomon people are significantly higher than those of other inland Jomon populations, indicating a diet consisting of both terrestrial C 3foods with lower isotopic values and anadromous or aquatic fish which had higher isotopic values. This is the first empirical evidence for the importance of fishing in the Jomon subsistence in interior Japan. The estimation of protein sources using the linear programming method showed that some amount of protein should originate from fish. In order to reconstruct the subsistence of inland Jomon people, anadromous and/or freshwater fish fishing should be considered as one of staple food collecting activities in the Late Jomon period.

宮古島ならびに石垣島住民の歯の形質人類学的研究 : 臼歯の大きさ

The dentition of the Ryukyu islanders were metrically examined in terms of inter island variation and biological population affinity. Measurements were of the crown diameter from first premolar to second molar in 144 plaster casts on Miyakojima population and 322 on Ishigakijima. Measuremants were statestically compared between two populations. The upper and lower first molars are the largest and the most stable teeth in the mesiodistal and buccolingual crown diameters and crown area, while the upper second premolar and the lower first premolar the smallest on the Miyakojima and the Ishigakijima populations. The crown diameters of all posterior teeth in Ishigakijima were smaller than those in Miyakojima. The upper and lower second premolars are proportionately the largest teeth in the crown index. The buccolingual crown diameter and crown area were larger for male than female, showing significant sex difference on the Miyakojima and the Ishigakijima populations. The mesiodistal crown diameters were larger for male than female, showing significant sex difference, premolars and molars except upper molar and lower second premolar on the Miyakojima, and upper first premolar, upper second molar and lower first molar on the Ishigakijima populations. The crown indexes were showing significant sex difference, premolars and molars except upper second premolar and first molar on the Miyakojima, and upper first molars, lower first premolar and second molar on the Ishigakijima populations. Metrical dental characters of the Miyakojima and Ishigakijima populations were compared with these from the others. The Miyakojima population shows close affinities to the Tanegasima and Yayoi populations, and the Ishigakijima similar to the Ainu and Jomon populations. The dental evidence shown in this study may contribute to the establishment of biological relationships between Miyakojima and Ishigakijima populations.

Radiocarbon and Stable Isotope Analyses on the Earliest Jomon Skeletons from the Tochibara Rockshelter, Nagano, Japan

This study presents the results of carbon and nitrogen isotopic analyses of six human skeletons excavated from the Tochibara rockshelter (Nagano, Japan). The human skeletons were reported to be accompanied by “Oshigata-mon” type pottery dating to the Earliest Jomon period (8900 BP ≃ 6600 BP). A radiocarbon determination from charcoal associated with the human remains was reported to be 8650 ± 180 BP (GaK-1056). However, the depositional context of human skeletons was uncertain because they were recovered by excavations that were dug by prescribed levels. Our results indicated that these skeletons date to the Earliest Jomon period; the 14C determinations place these remains between 8260 ± 100 BP (TERRA-b030799ab38) and 8580 ± 100 BP (TERRA-b011300a35). This coincides with the archaeological evidence that these specimens are some of the oldest Jomon skeletal materials. Furthermore, δ13C and δ15N values provide evidence for the first reconstruction of the diet of an inland Earliest Jomon population. Although the distribution of data indicated a possibility that they had exploited small amounts of seafood, the isotopic data point to this group having relied heavily on a terrestrial ecosystem based on C3 plants.

Metric and Non-metric Characters of the Jomon Skulls from the Ebishima Shell-Mound in Northeastern Honshu, Japan.

The metric and non-metric data on 32 human skulls excavated at the Ebishima (alias Kaitori) shell-mound in Iwate Prefecture, Japan, are provided for future anthropological analyses. The skeletal remains date back to the Late and/or Latest phases (ca. 2, 500 B.C. to ca. 300 B.C.) of the Jomon period. Preliminary comparisons of cranial measurements among five Jomon local populations indicate that, in both sexes, the Jomon people of the Tohoku district including the Ebishima sample tend to have narrower and higher skulls than those from the other districts. In the occurrence frequencies of non-metric cranial characters, the Ebishima sample is not significantly different from the Jomon population of eastern Honshu in 20 of the 21 non-metric characters examined. The presumably deliberate ablation of teeth is recognized in 80% of the adults from the Ebishima shell-mound.

Ruins of identity: ethnogenesis in the Japanese Islands

In its examination of the process of ethnogenesis - the formation of ethnic groups - in the Japanese islands, this book offers an approach to ethnicity that differs fundamentally from that found in most Japanese scholarship and popular discourse. Following an extensive discussion of previous theories on the formation of Japanese language, race and culture and the nationalistic ideologies that have affected research in these topics, the author presents a model of a core Japanese population based on the dual origin hypothesis favoured by physical anthropologists. According to this model, the Jomon population, which was present in Japan by a least the end of the Pleistocene, was followed by agriculturalists from the Korean peninsula during the Yayoi period (c.400 BC-300 AD). The author analyzes further evidence of migrations and agricultural colonization in a summary of cranial, dental and genetic studies and in an examination of the linguistic and archaeological records.

Intracemetery Genetic Analysis at the Nakazuma Jomon Site in Japan by Mitochondrial DNA Sequencing.

DNA was extracted from human teeth samples excavated from the Nakazuma Jomon shell midden (BC 2500) which is located north of the Kanto Plain. Part of the mitochondrial control region (233 bp) was amplified by a polymerase chain reaction. Mitochondrial DNA sequences determined from 29 individuals were classified into 9 different haplotypes defined by 17 segregating sites. The most frequent haplotype was observed in 17 individuals (58.6%). Most individuals shared the same sequence, suggesting the possibility of close maternal relationships at this site. On the other hand, the sequence diversity at the Jomon site was almost the same as the mitochondrial sequence diversity observed in modern Japanese. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Jomon haplotypes were scattered among modern Japanese haplotypes and did not fall into specific clusters. Both the extensive sequence divergence and the results of phylogenetic analysis showed that the Jomon people at the Nakazuma site were not a genetically homogenous population. Moreover, the magnitude of the mitochondrial. diversity observed within the Nakazuma Jomon people may indicate that severe genetic bottleneck did not occur during the formation of the Jomon population.

Changes in mandibular morphology from the Jomon to modern periods in Eastern Japan

Metric characteristics of the mandibles of modern and various historical populations from the Kanto region (east-central Japan) were compared with those of their possible ancestral populations, i.e., the Jomon population from Kanto and the Yayoi population from northern Kyushu and Yamaguchi (western Japan). The Jomon people were aboriginal Holocene inhabitants of Japan, while the Yayoi skeletal series are considered to largely represent immigrants from the Asian continent. Compared to the presumed ancestral morphology, the mandibles of the modern and pre-modern peoples of Kanto showed a marked narrowing, as well as reduction in the regions of major masticatory muscle attachments. The main cause of this underdevelopment is likely to be a diminished chewing stress, resulting in insufficient stimulation for proper growth of the jaw bone. In contrast, symphyseal height increased compared to the earlier Kanto populations. This may be a reflection of the existence of significant Yayoi genetic contribution in the formation of the modern and pre-modern Kanto populations. On the other hand, the mandibles of the protohistoric to medieval populations of the Kanto region are morphologically closer to Jomon. Therefore, they seem to have been genealogically continuous from the native Jomon people with some degree of gene flow stemming from the immigrants. Am J Phys Anthropol 104:227–243, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Geographical and Chronological Differences in Dental Caries in the Neolithic Jomon Period of Japan.

Dental caries of Japanese Neolithic Jomon skeletons derived from the thirteen sites was investigated. Results indicated that (1) caries is infrequent in the teeth of the early stage, (2) the teeth affected by caries increased in and after the middle stages, (3) the teeth from shell middens facing the open sea possibly has high degree rate of caries rather than those of inland sea, (4) the teeth in the late and final stages, regardless of the locations, had a certain measure of caries. From these results one may say that the incidences of dental caries in Jomon skeletons differ according to geographical and/or chronological circumstances. Perhaps, these incidences mainly reflect various dietary differentiation of this period. Furthermore, it is inferred that the high rate of dental caries in the Jomon population (8.2%) supports the theory that they relied heavily upon plant foods as a major source of nutrition.

An Analysis of Ainu Population Structure, Based on Cranial Morphology.

Craniometric analyses were employed to assess the degree of variation among previously recognized Ainu populations. Heterogeneity among populations was evaluated by calculating the contribution of among-group variation to total variation. The analyses were designed to investigate the hierarchical population structure represented by River groups within Province groups. River groups were defined in previous ethnological studies and were regarded as strongly isolated social units. However, univariate and multivariate analyses did not support this view. Cranial heterogeneity was most apparent in comparisons of Province groups composed of several River groups. The degree of heterogeneity was statistically greater than that among all River groups and was also greater than that among archaeological Jomon populations from Honshu. The great heterogeneity among Province groups was also supported by pair-wise distance analysis. The pattern of variation revealed by principal component analysis was different for each sex. The main contribution to regional variation was provided by male facial measurements. These results give a baseline for discussion about Ainu population history and microevolution, adaptation to different environments, intermarriage, and admixture with foreign populations.

The Skulls of Ubayama Shell-mounds. II. An Analysis of Intra- and Inter-regional Variation of the Jomon Population.

The Skulls of Ubayama Shell-mounds. II. An Analysis of Intra- and Inter-regional Variation of the Jomon Population.