Scientists Just Determined That The Hirota People Of Japan Intentionally Deformed Their Skulls Centuries Ago

PLOS ONE

On the island of Tanegashima in southern Japan, which historically served as the home of the Indigenous Hirota people, archaeologists started uncovering bones in 1957. The strange shapes of the skulls were readily apparent to the archaeologists, but they were unsure for many years whether the deformations were purposeful or the result of unidentified natural forces.

Now, researchers from the University of Montana and Japan's Kyushu University have concluded that the deformed skulls were most likely the result of artificial cranial deformation (ACD).

A team of biological anthropologists and archaeologists led by Noriko Seguchi of Kyushu University compared the Hirota skulls to those of other cultures who existed in Japan between the third and seventh centuries C.E. in a study that was published in PLOS ONE.

The Kyushu University Museum

19 Hirota skulls, nine Jomon skulls from Kyushu Island, and 28 Doigahama Yayoi skulls were all analyzed using 2D and 3D photos and scans, respectively. The only malformed skulls were those belonging to Hirota, they discovered.

Furthermore, the distortions included bulges and uneven shapes, which suggested they were artificial.

“Based on a comprehensive review of the results,” reads the newly-released study, “we concluded that Hirota site crania were intentionally modified.”

Seguchi Lab/Kyushu University

The researchers also found that there was no difference in the morphology of the deformed skulls between the sexes, with an equal proportion of male and female skulls.

ACD has reportedly been performed throughout history by numerous societies, including the Huns in Central Asia, the Maya, and other Indigenous communities in North America, according to Live Science.

For religious reasons, certain cultures deformed the heads of their offspring. Additionally, as a mark of their beauty and social rank, medieval ladies in several parts of Europe lengthened their skulls artificially.

Head binding is still a tradition among some communities in Vanuatu, a country in the Pacific. The General of South Malakulan stated of the practice, according to the Australian Museum: “We elongate the heads of our children because it is our tradition and it originates with the basic spiritual beliefs of our people. We also see that those with elongated heads are more handsome or beautiful, and such long heads also indicate wisdom.”

Archaeologists are currently unsure of the purpose of the Hirota people's cranial alteration practices, even though these civilizations have historically used ACD to signal group identification or social position. “Although the motivation of the practice is unclear,” wrote the researchers, “the Hirota people may have deformed their crania to preserve group identity and possibly aid in the long-distance trade of shellfish.”

It is possible that the Hirota people began wrapping or squeezing their children' heads from an early age to produce the ideal head shape. The craniums found at the Hirota site were compressed and flattened in the rear, with "depressions in parts of the skull that connects the bones together," Seguchi stated in a press release.

The discovery that the Hirota people's heads were purposefully disfigured may allow researchers to better understand why this technique was common among the people and whether it had anything to do with the opulent shells discovered buried alongside the skeletons.

Seguchi noted, “We hope that further investigations in the region will offer additional insights into the social and cultural significance of this practice in East Asia and the world.”