10 Time Travel Hokkaido

The Ainu and their culture The Ainu and their culture

As with the Satsumon culture that

preceded it, a characteristic of the Ainu

culture that appeared between the 12th

and 13th century was the creation of

settlements in river basins and near

estuaries. The large quantities of salmon

and trout that returned up the rivers were

an important source of food for the Ainu,

and salmon and kelp were precious

trading goods during the Edo period.

The natural surroundings that have

nurtured the lives of such Ainu remain

deeply ingrained in the watershed areas

of the Saru River, which flows into the

Pacific Ocean from its source in the

Hidaka Mountains. The history is

evident in the many Ainu place names

and legendary spots that convey the story

of the Ainu so vividly to the world.

Notably, the Nibutani district of the

town of Biratori is known as being a

region where importance has been

placed on traditional Ainu life and

culture. Although part of this area was

submerged by a reservoir when a dam

was built there in 1997, the national

government designated the area as a

“cultural landscape of Japan” in 2007, in

recognition of its importance as a cultural

heritage. There, the region’s people have

continued to hand down the Ainu

language, the yukar (epic stories of

heroism), the kamuy yukar (sacred chants)

and other traditional oral literature and

culture such as ancient Ainu dances. Such

activities are conveyed to the world by

means of events like the Chipsanke

Festival (Aug.), which involves a flotilla

of dugout canoes on the Saru River.

Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum 　　Kayano Shigeru Nibutani Ainu Museum

The Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum is

based on restored handicrafts and

materials collected over half a century

from the 1950s by Shigeru Kayano

(1926–2006), a folk culture researcher

and first Ainu member of the National

Diet. Of these items, 1,121 were

declared important tangible folk culture

by the Agency for Cultural Affairs in

2002. A total of 919 of these artifacts

were placed in the museum’s collection

and the remaining 202 items form part of

the collection at the nearby Kayano

Shigeru Nibutani Ainu Museum.

As well as exhibits of Ainu clothing

embroidered with traditional designs,

woodcarvings, farming and hunting

implements, and the largest dugout canoe

in Japan, it is also possible to listen to

recordings of yukar passed down from

elders, and see work by contemporary

craftsmen and women who are active

today.

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Nibutani

Museum opening hours 　Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (closed from Dec. 16 to Jan. 15) (Closed on Mondays between Nov. 16 and Dec. 15, and between Jan. 16 and Apr. 15)

Kayano Shigeru Nibutani Ainu Museum9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (open all year round but prior contact is required during the winter season)

Admission fees at each museum: adults ¥400, elementary and junior high school age ¥150 (joint ticket for admission to both museums, ¥700 and ¥200)

© Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum