is a Japanese
archaeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
who claimed he had found a large number of stone artifacts dating back to the
Lower Paleolithic
The Lower Paleolithic (or Lower Palaeolithic) is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It spans the time from around 3 million years ago when the first evidence for stone tool production and use by hominins appears in ...
and
Middle Paleolithic
The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleoli ...
periods. These objects were later revealed to be
forgeries
Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud anyone (other than themself). Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be forbid ...
.
Success
Fujimura was born in
Kami, Miyagi
is a town located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 22,804 and a population density of 50 persons per km2 in 8119 households. The total area of the town is . .
Geography
Kami is located in west-central Miya ...
, in 1950. After graduating from a high school in
Sendai
is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...
, he obtained a job in a manufacturing company. He became intrigued by archaeology when he was a child, finding shards of
Jōmon pottery
The is a type of ancient earthenware pottery which was made during the Jōmon period in Japan. The term "Jōmon" () means "rope-patterned" in Japanese, describing the patterns that are pressed into the clay.
Outline
Oldest pottery in Jap ...
in the backyard of his house.
[''発掘捏造'', 毎日新聞旧石器遺跡取材班, ]毎日新聞社
The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by
In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English language news website called ''The Mainichi'' (prev ...
, 2001.
In 1972 Fujimura began to study archaeology and to look for Paleolithic
artifacts during his holidays. Within the few years to follow, he rose to fame among amateur and academic archaeologists in
Sendai
is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...
by which he was appointed the head of the
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
group, ''Sekki Bunka Kenkyukai''(''石器文化硏究会'', literally translated to ''stone tool culture research association'') in 1975. Fujimura discovered and excavated many Paleolithic stone artifacts in Miyagi prefecture, such as at ''Zazaragi site'' in 1981, ''Nakamine C site'' in 1983 and ''Babadan A site'' in 1984. From a cross-dating investigation of the
stratum
In geology and related fields, a stratum ( : strata) is a layer of rock or sediment characterized by certain lithologic properties or attributes that distinguish it from adjacent layers from which it is separated by visible surfaces known as ei ...
these stone tools were estimated to be about 50,000 years old.
He established his reputation as a leading amateur archaeologist because he found most of the artifacts on his own.
He even became known as the archaeologist with the "divine hands".
After this success, he participated in 180 archaeological digs in northern Japan and almost always found artifacts, their age becoming increasingly older. Based on his discoveries the history of the
Japanese Paleolithic
The is the period of human inhabitation in Japan predating the development of pottery, generally before 10,000 BC. The starting dates commonly given to this period are from around 40,000 BC; although any date of human presence before 35,000 BC ...
period was extended to about 300,000 years. Most of the archaeologists did not question Fujimura's work and this discovery was written in the history
textbook
A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textboo ...
s. Later he gained a position as a deputy director at the private NGO group ''Tohoku Paleolithic Institute''.
Criticism
Despite the acquiescence from the archeologists, some geologists and anthropologists claimed the discovery was dubious and lacked consistency with the geologic analysis of the sites.
Takeoka Toshiki at the
Kyoritsu Joshi University published an article
Shizuo Oda and Charles T. Keally also mentioned some peculiarities in their article
[(1986):''A Critical Look at the Palaeolithic and "Lower Palaeolithic" Research in Miyagi Prefecture.'', 人類学雑誌, vol. 94-3, 1986]
Disclosure
On October 23, 2000, Fujimura and his team announced that they had another finding at the ''Kamitakamori site'' near
Tsukidate town. The finds were estimated to be 570,000 years old.
On November 5, 2000, the newspaper ''
Mainichi Shimbun
The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by
In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English language news website called ''The Mainichi'' (previ ...
'' published pictures of Fujimura digging holes and burying the artifacts his team later found. The pictures had been taken one day before the finding was announced. Fujimura admitted his forgery in an interview with the newspaper.
Fujimura confessed and apologized the same day in a press conference. He said that he had been "possessed by an uncontrollable urge".
He had planted the artifacts from his own collection in strata that would have indicated earlier dates. In Kamitakamori he had planted 61 of 65 artifacts, and had earlier planted all of the stonework in the
Soshin Fudozaka site in
Hokkaidō
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The la ...
. He claimed that these were the only times he had planted artifacts.
The Japanese Archaeological Association disaffiliated Fujimura from its members. A special investigation team of the Association revealed that almost all the artifacts which he had found were his fabrication.
See also
*
Japanese Paleolithic hoax
The consisted of a number of lower and middle paleolithic finds in Japan discovered by amateur archaeologist Shinichi Fujimura, which were later all discovered to have been faked. The incident became one of the biggest scandals in archaeological ...
*
Piltdown Man
The Piltdown Man was a paleoanthropological fraud in which bone fragments were presented as the fossilised remains of a previously unknown early human. Although there were doubts about its authenticity virtually from the beginning, the remains ...
*
Beringer's Lying Stones
Beringer's Lying Stones (german: Lügensteine) are pieces of limestone which were carved into the shape of various fictitious animals and "discovered" in 1725 by Professor Johann Bartholomeus Adam Beringer (1667–1740), Dean of the Faculty of Me ...
References
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External links
Japanese Archeology Web page by C. T. Keally
日本考古学協会
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fujimura, Shinichi
1950 births
Archaeological forgery
People involved in scientific misconduct incidents
Living people
Hoaxes in Japan
Paleolithic Japan