Graduation Term

Summer 2026

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Committee Chair

Abigail Chipps Stone

Committee Member

Shelby S. J. Putt

Committee Member

James Stanlaw

Abstract

The Jōmon – Yayoi period transition in Japan is marked by many migrants coming through the Korean Peninsula into Kyushu, sparking changes such as the introduction of wet-rice agriculture to the native hunter-gatherer-fisher Jōmon population and decreases in tooth ablation patterns and percentages. Ritual tooth ablation, or the removal of healthy front teeth, is typically seen as a coming-of-age practice, with the Jōmon having a diverse amount of ablation patterns. In this study, I explored how the rates and variation of tooth ablation changed throughout Japan after the arrival of Yayoi migrants from the continent. After calculating ablation rates per tooth type, I visually graphed these changes throughout Japan from the Initial Jōmon to Yayoi periods. Overall, ablation rate and variation had decreased most in southwestern Japan compared to northeastern Japan during the Yayoi period; however, upper 2nd incisor ablation, which was rare during the Final Jōmon period, increased in the southwest. Additionally, Yayoi period northeastern Japan had similar patterns to Final Jōmon period southwestern Japan. I concluded that ablation patterns may reflect the subsistence changes in the southeast and the movement of southwestern Jōmon groups into the northeast, making Jōmon people a more active component in the northeastern spread of agriculture. Furthermore, I suggested that more studies on the northeastern Jōmon – Yayoi transition should occur to further understand the relationships between the indiginous Jōmon and incoming Yayoi peoples.

Access Type

Thesis-Open Access

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