Shin’ichi Fujimura

Shin'ichi Fujimura (Japanese藤 村 新 一, Fujimura Shin'ichi, born May 4, 1950 in Kami, Miyagi Prefecture) is a Japanese amateur archaeologist who claimed for himself, discovers a variety of artifacts from the young and middle Paleolithic have to. The findings proved in 2000 as fakes with far-reaching consequences for the archaeological exploration of the Japanese Paleolithic.

Career

Fujimura worked after graduating from high school in Sendai, a subsidiary of the Tōhoku Denryoku. He was from his childhood in which he had found pottery shards from the Jōmon period, fascinated by archeology. From 1972, he began a close look at archeology, as a helper in excavations, such as Zazaragi to participate and after Paleolithic artifacts to search. By participating in excavations he came with amateur archaeologists as serious researchers into contact and founded in 1975 the " discussion group for stone tool cultures " (石器 文化 谈话 会, Sekki Bunka Danwakai ). This group discovered, always in the presence Fujimuras, on many excavation sites as Nakamine -C, Babadan -A and Others Paleolithic stone artifacts that were dated by stratigraphic studies in an age of 50,000 years BP.

Fujimura began to write their own essays and became ironically as the " Hand of God" (神 の 手, kami no te ) in reputation. As a result, he participated in about 180 excavations, especially in Miyagi Prefecture, in part. The artifacts, which he discovered, were continuously " older ". The mass media in Japan reported promptly on the findings and thus not only the dating of the Japanese Paleolithic was changed, the Palaeolithic discoveries Fujimuras even reached the current Japanese history textbooks. Fujimura gave in 1999 to his appointment, and was founded in 1992 and deputy chairman of the nonprofit organization " Tohoku Research Center for Paleolithic stone tool cultures " (东北 旧石器 研究所, Tohoku Bunka Kenkyujo Kyūsekki ).

Discovery

In 2000 Fujimura gave with the research group announced another discovery at the excavation site in Kamitakamori, which dated to 570,000 v. h. A few days later managed a photographer Mainichi Shimbun of, Fujimura to photograph when he just at that dig site a stone artifact buried, which he then presented as a discovery. The photographic evidence appeared, including articles on 5 November 2000 in daily output and shaken by the unmasking Fujimuras the Paleolithic research in Japan.

Fujimura confessed to have placed in Kamitakamori even in a Pressekonfonerenz 61 of 65 found artifacts. The " Archaeological Society Japan" therefore excluded him from membership. A special investigation committee was formed, which identified nearly all finds Fujimuras as fakes. Fujimura had indeed quite discovered archaeological artifacts, this usually jōmonzeitlichen stone tools, however, dug in deeper soil layers, thereby primarily stratigraphic dating proved to be false.

Many of the sites that have been declared by Fujimuras discoveries to national historic sites, lost as a result of the findings fakes again their status and promotion associated with it. Since the findings fakes are hardly a criminal offense under the applicable law, Fujimura remained largely undisturbed. Only in 2003, complained an archaeologist from Fukuoka prefecture because of " business disruption " (业务 妨害 罪, gyōmu hōgaizai ) against Fujimura. The action was also rejected for lack of evidence. Fujimuras were divorced in the meantime, he married again and adopted a new family name. Fujimura said to be suffering from a mental disorder. After a short stint at a disability organization, he now lives in retirement in Minamisoma.