History

Ainu Inhabitation of the Japanese Archipelago

The Jomon period ca. 14,500 – 1000 BC, revolves around the stone age Jomon culture in Japan where the Ainu derive their roots from. Little is known of the Jomon period other than artifacts which suggest that the original inhabitants of Japan were closer to the Ainu in practice, religion, lifestyle and appearance. However we do know how the Jomon period ended, With the introduction of rice farming by the Yayoi peoples from Korea and China. The Jomon peoples assimilated into the growing Yayoi society eventually forcing the remaining Jomon to the northern most islands of Japan where they developed during the Satsumon period into a culture that would eventually become the Ainu.

Pictured above are some ceramic artifacts of the Jomon period recovered on the island of Honshu in the modern era.
https://www.greenshinto.com/2013/09/29/jomon-artifacts/

Satsumon Agriculture

The Satsumon period (600ce - 1200ce) is an offset of the Yayoi period that began to take place in the southern reached of Japan around 100ce. The Satsumon was a continuation of the Foraging communities of the Jomon though the Jomon began to be influenced by the Yayoi to the south.

Influence of the Yayoi

The Yayoi began to influence the northern Jomon through the dissemination of technology. Some major advances that were introduced to the norther Jomon were Ironware, Cooking stoves, textiles, and Large scale agriculture. Although the climate of northern Honshu and Hokkaido did not support the cultivation of rice the Jomon had taken the principles learned from the Yayoi and began to cultivate Millet and Barley.

Rise of the Ainu

The Rise of the Ainu is believed to have come about during this period due to the merging of the northern Jomon and the Okhotsk culture that lived around the Sea of Okhotsk. These peoples are believed to have come from the Amur river valley and began to settle the kuril islands and Sakhalin. The Okhotsk people lived in coastal settlements hunting large marine mammals. the fusion of Jomon and Okhotsk pottery and motifs is believed to be the start of the Ainu culture.

Foundation of the Ainu

The first Historical Document to mention the Ainu comes from around the 15th century during the Waijin colonization of the southernmost point of Hokkaido. It is said that the Ainu of the time were build upon three "Ezo specialties" Kelp, dried salmon and herring. The Ainu were the predominant traders of the north facilitating trade between the Japanese, Korean and Chinese merchants.

Ainu trading culture

For the Ainu trade in the medieval era became a staple of everyday life. Trade at its core was a very spiritual process. The Ainu believe that the Kamuy are present in all pieces of the world from a small tool to the largest whales, this in turn made trading a very special process as it was seen as trading the Kamuy to another and thus these goods must be kept in pristine condition as they were spiritual vessels of the Ainu.

Waijin Invasions

The Japanese or Waijin (Foreign invader) in Ainu began to settle the southern most tip of Hokkaido around the year 1400. The Japanese that came to Hokkaido came after their lord Sueshige Kakizaki invaded after an Ainu revolt within the colony. The Japanese within the province would begin to crackdown on Ainu trade by the time of the Edo period as the country was closed off from the world. In 1550 the law concerning traffic for foreign vessels was enacted, to appease the Ainu in which the Ainu could continue to trade with the Japanese. However the Ainu were forced to live within two areas where they could collect taxes and forced the Ainu to lower sails and bow as they entered the trading towns.

Late Edo Period

During the late Edo period the Ainu Would continue much as they had in the past, however Shoguns of the Edo government would continue to encroach on Ainu territory. This lead to the Japanese hinging northern marine products on the use of Ainu labor showcasing the refocus of the shoguns on the Ainu of Hokkaido.

Meiji Era

During the Meiji Era the Government of Imperial Japan would encroach on the Ainu directly annexing the lands of the Ainu in Hokkaido. The Ainu were subjected to discrimination based on their "Hairiness" and their "brutish" way of life. The Japanese government would ban the use of Ainu in schooling mandating Japanese be spoken. The Japanese would also take the Ainu lands for their mining and industrial adventures. Ainu women were banned from their ancient tattooing tradition and would be forced to leave their role as spiritual heads of the family and integrate into the Japanese mandated family dynamic. Russia and Japan would come to blows in 1904 over the control of Port Arthur and Sakhalin. In the end Japan would win Splitting the southern lands of Sakhalin from the north with Russia instituting the same laws and discrimination on the Sakhalin Ainu.

Recognition

After enduring nearly 100 years of discrimination the Japanese government would recognize the Ainu as Indigenous inhabitants of Japan after the UN Indigenous rights act. However in 1997 the last Ainu women to have face Tattoo's died. In 1993, less than 300 people spoke Ainu.

Back to home

Major era's of Ainu History

01

Jomon Period

02

Satsumon Period

03

Medieval Ainu Period

04

Early Modern Period