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Abstract
The primary purpose of this research is to collate, compare, and discuss the presently available data for head and face dimensions among Korean and Japanese ethnic groups. Classification of Korean male and female head and face types is simpler than classification of Japanese subjects. Male groups have more statistically significant morphological differences than females, and Japanese subjects display larger values for head and face measurement categories than Korean subjects. Japanese item values for head and face dimensions show distinct differences between male and female subjects compared to Korean subjects. Japanese male subjects have distinct differences from Korean male subjects and relatively lower values for head and face dimensions as age increases compared to Korean male subjects. Generally, female subjects have no regular tendency according to age compared to male subjects.
KEY WORDS: HEAD ANTHROPOMETRY, FACE ANTHROPOMETRY, KOREANS, JAPANESE.
Anthropometric data are an important factor in the design of new products. Anthropometric head and face measurements can be used in a variety of product and facility design applications, such as hat and helmet design, the design of protective masks and goggles, and the design of frames for glasses (Park et al. 2004; Milton Alexander and Emanuel 1961).
Many people of Asian descent bear superficial resemblance to others of Asian heritage, especially in the areas of face and head shape; however, the reality is that head and face shapes differ between individuals of different national heritage. It is imperative to consider these differences in the areas of object, system, and environmental design.
The Korean data were randomly collected in Daejeon, South Korea, and the Japanese data were collected in Ueda, Japan. These samples do not represent all Korean and Japanese populations. According to Kohama (1969), the Japanese population can be classified into two main groups: Tohoku Japanese and Kinai Japanese. The Tohoku Japanese reside mainly in northeastern Japan from Tohoku to Hokuriku, and the Kinai Japanese' main residential area is the Kinai district, distributing eastward to the Tokai district and westward to the coast of the Seto Inland Sea to Tsushima Island. Kinai Japanese are more similar to Koreans than Tohoku Japanese are.
Choi et al. (1996) investigated Korean face types and classified them into two types: a northern type and a southern type...