The Ainu Lifestyle

Learn about the traditions and lives of the Ainu

Ainu Tattoo's

For the Ainu Tattoos were of great importance both spiritually and culturally. For the Ainu Tattoo's were only allowed for women. Tattoo artists were a profession only allowed for women and they held great respect within the village. Tattoo artists served both the spiritual and physical worlds through their work.

The Ainu "Smiling" face tattoo as pictured above was a key part of a women's life. Work on the tattoo would begin at the age of 7 and continue until the tattoo curved around and connected to the lower lip. Once the tattoo was completed the women would be seen as of a mature age and ready for marriage. The face tattoo was not only an indicator of maturity but also a seal from the Kamuy to ward away disease, ensure a safe childbirth, and ensure a spot in the afterlife among their ancestors.

Until a women was married tattoos would be allowed, once married tattoos would not be allowed. As seen above the tattooing of women would continue on the hands and the lower arms, these tattoos would be in Ainu traditional patterns which were made to imitate nature and show a devotion to the Kamuy. A sacred tool to the Ainu Tattoo artist was the Makiri pictured below.

An Ainu Women's perspective during the Tattoo ban

“I was twenty-one years old before I had this little tattoo put on my lips. After it was done, my mother hid me from the Japanese police for five days. I wish we could have retained at least this one custom!” (unknown, 1970)

“They say the gods will be angry, and that the women can’t marry unless they are tattooed. They are less apathetic on this than on any subject, and repeat frequently, It’s part of our religion.” (Munro, Neil Gordon. (1963). Ainu Creed and Cult. New York: Columbia University Press.)

Ainu Hunters

In the Image above we can see an Ainu hunter. Hunters were usually men though in the height of the hunting season women would also join the hunt. Ainu hunters would often trap squirrels and rabbits alongside hunting Bear and Deer. Ainu hunters would use poisoned arrows to hunt their prey, their bows were often made of Yew which allowed for higher flexibility and faster arrows. The Ainu hunters would often use packs of dogs when hunting which were said to be so well trained that they would never attack or kill a deer. A crucial part of an Ainu hunters kit was the Ipakke-ni a deer calling device which was made of deer skin and wood which when blown into would resemble the cry of a fawn.

Ainu Beards

Though it is uncertain where the tradition originates from, Ainu men would often have long beards. However when the Waijin came to the Ainumosir the beard became a symbol of the Ainu and their distinction from the Waijin invaders. Genetically the Ainu are more similar to the indigenous people of Siberia. And a key distinction is the "Hairiness" of the Ainu compared to the rest of East Asia.

Ainu Kotan's

Pictured above is a traditional Ainu Kotan. Ainu Kotan's were often settled around the spawning grounds of salmon or in the river valley's of Hokkaido. One of the key sources of food for the Ainu was salmon and other marine life. Some Kotan's thus were built near the shoreline and served primarily as Fishing villages.

Pictured above is the interior of a traditional Ainu home (Cise). Cise's were built without the use of nails and are often made of wood and a thatch like material for insulation often made of bamboo in the southern most villages. The Cise is dominated by a central hearth which according to Ainu religion is the home of the Hearth Goddess and therefore must always remain lit. At the head of the hearth there is the sacred Kamuy Puyar or god window and is so that the kamuy may leave and enter the home. The Kamuy Puyar served also as the way to bring goods into the home like meat in order to appease the Kamuy present within the meat.

Fishing In Ainu Culture

For the Ainu Fishing was one of the most important activities. In Ainu the word for food is Chep and the word for fish is Chi-ep this shows the Ainu reliance on fishing. Salmon in contrast is known as Shibe "The great food" and has also become a Kamuy as it is stated to have originally come from the Kamuymosir down to Ainumosir. The Ainu were great spear fishers and often boys would be taken by the ages of 5-7 to learn how to spear. The Ainu would also trap fish by placing spears into the river bed at tributaries and cast a wicker net between them to trap the fish.

Ainu Description on Salmon

"Some of the smaller salmon are called inao-kot-chep, i.e. the fish which have inao (given them). There is another kind named kamuy-koitukka-chep, which are very precious indeed, for their heads are great charms. These have short snouts and their heads are fashioned something in the shape of a cup. When such fish are killed they must be placed on a tray, set before the fire and worshipped. The head must then be cut off and inao offered to it, after which the body may be cooked and eaten. The stick also with which salmon have been killed should also be worshipped and inao offered it." (John Batchelor, The Ainu and Their Folk-lore (London: The Religious Tract Society, 1901).

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