REMAINS DUG FROM JAPAN MASS GRAVE SUGGEST EPIDEMIC IN 1800S

Thu 27 August 2020:

An excavation at a redevelopment site in the western Japanese city of Osaka has uncovered the remains of 1,500 people buried in a mass grave dating back to the late 1800s.

Officials from the Osaka City Cultural Properties Association said Wednesday the bones likely belonged to young people and children who lived in the area some 160 years ago.

“It was our first historical discovery of a burial site in Osaka,” Yoji Hirata, an official at the association, said. “The findings will provide details of burial traditions of ordinary people back then.”

Many of the remains were found in small round holes. Some appeared to have signs of disease on the limbs, suggesting the burial site may have been for victims of an epidemic, Hirata said. He added that archaeologists also found coffins containing multiple bodies — a possible sign that people were buried together because they died of disease.

The more than 1,500 remains were found during the latest round of excavation that started in September 2019, following an earlier 2016-2017 study that dug up hundreds of similar remains at adjacent locations, according to Yoji Hirata, said an official at the association.

“It was our first historical discovery of a burial site in Osaka,” Hirata said. “The findings will provide details of burial tradition of ordinary people back then.”

As in the earlier excavation, the remains of some of the people showed lesions on their limbs, suggesting they fell victim to an epidemic in the region, Hirata said. All the remains have already been removed from the excavation site, and experts will further examine the latest harvest and other artifacts in hopes of finding more details related to the deaths.

Many of the remains were in small round holes, where bodies were apparently stacked and buried. Archaeologists found coffins containing multiple remains, a sign that many victims of an epidemic were buried together, Hirata said.

Researchers also found 350 urns, as well as coins, Buddhist prayer beads, combs, sake cups and clay dolls that were believed to have been buried with the dead. They also unearthed the remains of animals, including four piglets, horses, and cats.

Hirata said the findings would be compiled in a report expected at the end of next year.

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