Waist decoration - Koshikazari

Japanese: 腰飾 - こしかざり

These ornaments are often made from deer antlers and are often found near the waist of buried human bones from the late and final Jomon period, although some are made from boar tusks and animal vertebrae. They come in a variety of shapes and are not uniform, but a typical one is generally L-shaped with a hole at one end parallel to the body and another at the other perpendicular to the body. Some have sharp tips or are shaped like a glans, like the head of a stone club. The cross section is carved into a U shape. In examples such as the Yoshigo shell mound in Aichi Prefecture, where many waist ornaments have been found, the vast majority have been found with male human bones, in contrast to shell rings, which are similar ornaments and are more often found with female human bones.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

縄文時代後･晩期の埋葬人骨の腰部付近から発見される例の多い鹿角製の装身具で，猪牙製，獣骨脊椎骨製のものもある。形態は種々あり一様ではないが，典型的なものは全体が〈く〉の字状を呈し，一端に身と平行する穴があけられ，もう一方には身と直交する穴があけられる。先端部はとがったり，石棒の頭部のように亀頭状を呈するものがある。横断面は〈U〉字状に掘り込まれる。腰飾が数多く発見された愛知県吉胡貝塚などの例では，男性人骨に伴出したものが圧倒的に多く，同じ装身具でも女性人骨に伴出例の多い貝輪とは対照的である。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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