[Niigata University of Health and Welfare] July 4 (Sat) Faces of People from About 700 Years Ago Revived - First Public Display in Japan of a Reconstructed Face from a Skull from the Nanboku-cho Period -

The Institute of Natural Anthropology at Niigata University of Health and Welfare, part of the NSG Group, in collaboration with the Wajima Takara Community Development Network Council, the Association for Preserving the History of Muraoka Castle Ruins, Motoyama Murata Myohoji Temple, and Tsubakinomori Club, will hold a public display and symposium for the "Reconstructed Face of the Honkoji Skull" on July 4, 2026 (Sat) at the Wajima Community Exchange Center in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture.

The display will feature a reconstructed face based on a skull of an individual who lived about 700 years ago during the Nanboku-cho period. The public display of a reconstructed face based on a Nanboku-cho period skull is an extremely rare opportunity in Japan.

The human remains were discovered around 1913 (Taisho 2) during the construction of the Okawazu Diversion Channel, along with a kenuki-gata tachi sword, in what is now the Shimazaki River. They are currently enshrined at Honkoji Temple in Nagaoka City. In 2024, Professor Takashi Nara and his team from the Institute of Natural Anthropology at this university re-examined the skull. According to dating results from the University Museum, the University of Tokyo, one of the skulls was found to be from the Nanboku-cho period (around the 14th century). As the kenuki-gata tachi is said to have been possessed by a high-ranking samurai of that era, this individual may have also held a high social status. Legends related to Prince Munenaga and Nobuaki Kazama remain in the Wajima region of Nagaoka City, but their connection to the skull is still unclear.

The symposium will provide an easy-to-understand explanation of the results of dating and facial reconstruction research, and will include the first public display of the reconstructed face.

Overview of the Nanboku-cho Period Facial Reconstruction Public Display and Symposium

[Date] July 4 (Sat) 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM (Doors open at 12:30 PM)

[Location] Wajima Community Exchange Center (3545-1 Kojitaya, Nagaoka City)

[Application] No application required, free admission

Event Flyer

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[Niigata University of Health and Welfare] https://www.nuhw.ac.jp/

This is a comprehensive medical university with six faculties and 16 departments offering studies in nursing, medical care, rehabilitation, nutrition, sports, welfare, and medical IT, which is rare nationwide. Maximizing the benefits of being a comprehensive medical university, this university provides practical training in "team medical care" required in medical settings. Furthermore, by establishing a university-wide organized support system for obtaining qualifications and career support, it achieves top-class national examination pass rates and high employment rates nationwide. Additionally, leveraging its unique environment with sports-related departments, the university offers studies that integrate sports with "medical care," "rehabilitation," and "nutrition."

<About NSG Group>

NSG Group is a corporate group composed of 101 organizations that engage in a wide range of businesses, including education, medical care, welfare, and nursing care as its core, as well as health and sports, construction and real estate, food and agriculture, trading companies, advertising agencies, ICT, hotels, apparel, beauty, human resources services, and entertainment. Aiming to make each region "the world's most prosperous and happy town," we are working from a private sector standpoint to create businesses that revitalize communities with the keywords "people," "security," "work," and "attractiveness."

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