Ainu Stories at Japan House

The Ainu are a Japanese indigenous people living mainly in Hokkaido, the northernmost prefecture of Japan. They have lived for centuries in the north of Japan, not only in Hokkaido but also in northern Honshu, Karafuto (which the Ainu call Sakhalin) and the Kuril islands. Their language is unrelated to Japanese and Ainu culture is very distinct from Wajin, or ethnic Japanese.

Trailer for Ainu Stories at Japan House

The exhibition Ainu Stories: Contemporary Lives by the Saru River is presented by Japan House London and the Ainu community of the Japanese province of Biratori. It gives a glimpse into what it means to be Ainu today in a particular community. Through language, song and dance; woodcarving, textiles and food, environmental issues and belief systems, the exhibit asks some very crucial questions about cultural transmission and preservation and does its best to answer them.

Ainu Food Preparation from Ainu Stories at Japan House

Ainu culture as we understand it today began to take form in around the 13th century with the introduction of metal implements and lacquerware via the surrounding lands. The Ainu people were hunter-gatherers and fishermen, but also played important roles in trade between what is now Russia and China as well as the mainland Japanese.

Ainu hunting gear, with quiver of arrows
and long hunting knife in scabbard

Historically the Ainu have suffered discrimination and marginalisation to the point that their language and traditions were almost wiped out. Expressions of Ainu identity are often shown as having existed only in the past, and many narratives focus on what has been lost rather than the lives of the Ainu today. But while there are no towns or villages in Japan populated entirely by Ainu people, it is estimated that the current Ainu population in Japan numbers in the tens of thousands.

Statistics, maps and pictures of previous exhibitions
of the town of Nibutani

The town of Nibutani is a historic town in Biratori with a community of just over 300 people, the majority of whom are of Ainu descent. Ainu Stories: Contemporary Lives by the Saru River was developed in collaboration with the people of Nibutani and brings together more than 200 works, many of which have never before been shown outside Japan, alongside specially commissioned videos. 

Traditional Ainu robe, sash and fish skin boots,
with video of Ainu weaver creating attus cloth

In 1953, Kaizawa Hagi, a weaver from Nibutani and grandmother of prominent contemporary artist Kaizawa Toru, began selling robes from attus (bark-cloth) in Sapporo. At the same time woodcarver and prominent Ainu advocate Kayano Shigeru began producing wooden trays carved in traditional Ainu style. In 1962, the Nibutani Community Centre began to run bear carving classes, led by respected woodcarver Chiri Toshimi.

inuye - carved figures

Decorative woodcarving (in Ainu: inuye) is a crucial element of the area's tourist industry, and is handed down from generation to generation. Nibutani ita are carved wooden plates found mainly in the area and used for serving food.

walnut wood trays & carvings

They are carved from walnut wood with Ainu patterns of four kinds: morew (spirals) ayus (thorns) sik (eye shapes) and ram-ram (fish scales). The scales are carved in several directions on a single plate or tray to symbolise the cardinal directions and reflect the light in different ways.

tactile woodcarving samples for visitors to handle

sample of ram-ram (fish scale) carving

The production of ita has been named an "Officially Designated Traditional Craft", one of only two in Hokkaido. The other is the weaving of Nibutani attus, bark-cloth textiles.

Attus barkcloth textiles, with the wosa or warp guide
& pera (paddle)

One expression of Ainu identity is the amip, robes whose designs vary from region to region, worn for ceremonies and for song and dance performances. The men wear them for dances with ceremonial weapons and the women with colourful necklaces called tamasay or shitoki.

Shitoki made with glass beads and medallion.

The Ainu belief system is based on the idea that alongside the world of humans (aynu) there is a world of gods (kamuy) in human form. When the kamuy pass into the human world they can take the forms of animals or plants. Certain ceremonies enable messages to be sent by humans to the kamuy.

Attus amip used to be worn traditionally for these ceremonies, as well as working clothes, as they were popular for their breathability and durability. But these days robes from barkcloth are rare, and the ceremonial robes are now made of cotton.

Kaparamip, Ainu ceremonial dancing robes

Ainu dance was recognised as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan in 1984 and in 2009 UNESCO registered it on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In Nibutani, children learn Ainu dances as a part of their Ainu language classes.

In recent years, the transmission of Ainu culture has finally become more actively supported and encouraged. International indigenous rights movements have played their part, and in 2008 the Japanese Diet officially recognised the Ainu as an indigenous people and put The Law for the Promotion of Ainu Policy put into effect in 2019. 

Mahala at the Ainu exhibit

wonder | wander | women hope that the Ainu and other Japanese indigenous communities get the recognition and support they deserve.