Shinichi Fujimura (藤村新一 Fujimura Shin'ichi, born 1950?) was a Japanese amateur archaeologist who faked important discoveries for years before he was exposed in 2000. 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from the Greek words αρχαίος = ancient and λόγος = word/speech/discourse) is the study of human cultures through the recovery, documentation and analysis of material remains and environmental data, including architecture, artifacts, biofacts, human remains, and landscapes. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

In 1972, Fujimura began to study archaeology and to look for prehistoric artifacts. At the time he was working for a manufacturing company. He established his reputation as a leading amateur archaeologist in Japan when he made a major discovery in 1981. By stratum, it was dated as much as 40,000 years old. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... I archaeology, an artifact or artefact is any object made or modified by a human culture, and often one later recovered by some archaeological endeavor. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Goldenville Strata exposed at a quarry in Bedford, Canada. ...

Over the years, he worked in 180 archaeological digs all around Japan and always seemed to find something important and increasingly older. The superstitious ones would talk about his "divine hands." His work became the basis of numerous textbooks and research of other archaeologists. His reputation kept would-be critics silent. He gained a position as a deputy director at the Tohoku Paleolithic Institute. The number 13 is often avoided in public buildings, also floors, doors and this Santa Anita Park horse stall. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... Research is often described as an active, diligent, and systematic process of inquiry aimed at discovering, interpreting, and revising facts. ...

On October 23, 2000, Fujimura and his team announced that they had made an important find at the Kamitakamori site near Tsukidate, Miyagi Prefecture. The finds were dated 570,000 years old. October 23 is the 296th day of the year (297th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Miyagi Prefecture (宮城県; Miyagi-ken) is located in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island, Japan. ...

However, on November 5, 2000, the newspaper Mainichi Shimbun published pictures of Fujimura digging holes and burying the artifacts his team later found. The pictures had been taken one day before the find was announced. November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 56 days remaining. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Headquarters in Tokyo Osaka Office Newsagents shop in Higashi-osaka Printing plant in Settsu The Mainichi Shimbun , lit. ...

Fujimura confessed the same day in a press conference. He said that he had wanted to be known as the person who had found the earliest stoneware in Japan. 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 the Hokkaido Prefecture. He claimed these were the only times he had planted artifacts. He was immediately dismissed from his position at the Tohoku Institute. A Staffordshire stoneware plate from the 1850s with transferred copper print - (From the home of JL Runeberg) Stoneware is a category of clay and a type of pottery distinguished primarily by its firing and maturation temperature (from about 1200°C to 1315 °C). ... Hokkaido   listen? (北海道 Hokkaidō, literal meaning: North Sea Route, Ainu: Mosir), formerly known as Ezo, is the second largest island of Japan. ...

All of Fujimura's work immediately fell under suspicion, and the discovery also affected the research of many other archaeologists in Japan and elsewhere, based on his findings. In 2001, accusations of forgery against Professor Mitsuo Kagawa of Beppu University were published. Professor Mitsuo Kagawa hanged himself, leaving a note proclaiming that he was innocent, and that he had committed suicide in protest. Publishers of archaeology textbooks had to change everything. Most of Fujimura's other findings were later also proven to be forgeries. Mitsuo Kagawa was a famous archaeologist. ... Mitsuo Kagawa was a famous archaeologist. ... Suicide by hanging. ...

External links

• Yamada, Shoh (2002). "Politics and Personality - The Anatomy of Japan's Worst Archaeology Scandal". Harvard Asia Quarterly 6 (3) 48-54.

• Keally, Chas. T (2000) "How fabrications of two early Paleolithic sites has damaged all of Japanese archeology" Home page for retired archeology professor in Japan

• Romey, Kristin M. "'God's hand' did the devil's work". "Archeology" "54" (1) Jan./February 2001

• BBC News Online "Archeologist exposed as fraud." BBC News, 5 November., 2001. Includes some shots taken that morning by the media of Fujimura planting artefacts.

• Nature (2001) "Fake pottery buries theory of early start for Christianity." "Nature", 438 (7070)

• Normile, Dennis (2001) Japanese Fraud Highlights Media-Driven Research Ethic.” "Science" 5 January 291: 34-35.

• Science (2000) “Structural Failure” in “Random Samples” 10 November 290: 1083.

• Science (2001) “Futher fakes.” in “Science Scope” 5 October 294: 31.

• Normile, Dennis (2001) “Questions Arise Over Second Japanese Site” "Science" 23 November 294: 1634

• Uranaka Taiga (2001) “Faked digs put archaeologists on defensive.” “The Japan Times” 28 January

• Simkin, Mark (2001) "Archaeologist fraudulently writes Japanese history." ABC AM Radio (Transcript) Monday, 19 November

• The Japan Times (2002) “Archaeological probe dismisses 'findings' of disgraced Fujimura” 27 May

• French, Howard W. (2000) "Meet a 'stone age' man so original, he's a hoax." "New York Times" 7 December Short interview with two prominent archeologists cited by numerous sources on the Fujimura hoax.