A tourniquet was applied to the proximal portion of the lower limb of rats for 6 hours. Rats were sacrificed 1, 3 days and 1, 4, 8, 16 weeks after ischemic injury. Histochemical and morphometrical studies of the skeletal muscles and capillaries were preformed. The results of this study were as follows: 1. Morphological change began at first day and was most remarkable at 3 days after ischemic injury. Pathologic changes such as infiltration of inflammatory cells, phagocytosis, muscular regeneration, target fibers ant type grouping of muscle fibers were observed sequentially during recovery periods. Recovery was not complete even 16 weeks after ischemic injury. 2. Ischemic change was most apparent in vascular rich type B and C muscle fibers. Therefore the injury was most severe in gastrocnemius muscle, which is composed of only type B and C fibers. The Red portion showed more severe injury than the white portion within the muscle, and the central portion showed more severe damage than the periphery of the muscular fascicle. 3. Morphometrically the number of capillary surrounding muscle fiber and capillary-fiber ratio were decreased, however sharing factor was not changed significantly. Number of capillary per unit area seemed to incompatible to compare the individuals in morphometric study. 4. Average ratio of capillary branches was due mainly to increased second ordered branch versus third ordered branch. This means that intermediate branches prolfierate more rapidly than the terminal branches of capillaries. 5. In contrast to staght and regular course and right angled branching pateern of normal capillaries, the course and branching pattern of the postischemic capillaries showed relatively varicose and irregular appearnace. We could get the following hypothesis with the above findings that: the nature responds with varicsoity and hyperplasia of the capillaries for disctribution of single capillary toward surrounding muscle fibers.