【Award】Dr. Katherine Hampson received the Anthropological Science Achievement Award for Young Investigators

In this study, we conducted a morphological and taphonomic analysis of surface modifications (“scratches”) observed on medieval human skulls from the Zaimokuza site in Kamakura, Japan. Through detailed microscopic examination, we clarified that many of these marks were formed by post-mortem processes rather than weapon injuries, contributing to a more accurate understanding of how these remains were treated after death and providing new insights into medieval burial practices in Japan. I would like to express my upmost gratitude to Professor Osamu Kondo from the University of Tokyo, and to the many researchers whose efforts made this study possible. I am also deeply thankful to SOKENDAI for providing me with the opportunity to continue exploring similar topics and lines of research as a specially appointed researcher, as well as to the support and understanding of society that enables me to undertake this kind of research.