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Ainu culture resurrection

tokapi

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8 Sep 2007
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Interesting article on younger generation indigenous Japanese Ainu active in its revival. :)

Mina Sakai wanted to improve the status of her people,the 24-year-old Ainu woman from Obihiro, Hokkaido , has succeeded in an unconventional way in boosting public interest in the indigenous people, who are often subject to discrimination in what some people still tend to think of as an ethnically homogeneous society.

Now she also attends an Ainu language course in Tokyo.The Ainu ancestors were not allowed to pass it on under the past assimilation policy of the government.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20071122f3.html
 
Sadly the fate of Ainu culture and the experiences they've went through were much more severe than the Okinawans and even the "Zainichi" Koreans.

The Japanese enslaved them and nearly wiped out their culture. The Russians kicked them out of Sakhalin and the Kurile Islands, which is historically their homeland.

Very few Ainu are vocal or familiar with their identity (many others hide their ethnic background as well). Even today they face some discrimination, although its improved much since the past,it certainly could be better.

I think their unfortunate circumstances were probably due to their low population.
 
Emishi (蝦夷, pre-7th century 毛人)

More recently, scholars believe that they were natives of northern Honshū who were descendants of those who produced the Jōmon culture.They are thought to have been related to the Ainu.

Emishi - Wikipedia


Emishi envoys to the T'ang court .......

The evidence that the Emishi were also related to the Ainu comes from historical documents. One of the best sources of information comes from both inside and outside Japan, from contemporary Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty histories as these describe dealings with Japan, and from the Shoku Nihongi. For example, there is a record of the arrival of the Japanese foreign minister in AD 659 where conversation is recorded with the Tang Emperor. In this conversation we have perhaps the most accurate picture of the Emishi recorded for that time period. This episode is repeated in the Shoku Nihongi in the following manner.

Two Emishi, a man and woman, from contemporary Tohoku accompanied the minister Sakaibe no Muraji to Tang China. The emperor was delighted with the two Emishi because of their "strange" physical appearance. This was an emperor who was most likely the illustrious Emperor Tang Taizong who was familiar with many ethnic groups throughout his Empire, from Uyghurs and Turks to Middle Eastern traders. However, he probably did not have any contact with Europeans. The Japanese envoy for his part describes the contemporary relationship with the various Emishi: those who had allied themselves with the Yamato court (known as 和蝦夷 niki-emishi, i.e. 'gentle Emishi'), those who remained as enemies staunchly opposed to Yamato (known as 荒蝦夷 ara-emishi, i.e. 'rough Emishi' or 'wild Emishi'), and the distant Tsugaru Emishi (located in present-day northern Aomori and in southern Hokkaido). All Chinese documents refer to them as having a separate state north of Japan and call them 毛人 (Mandarin máo rén, Sino-Japanese mōjin), literally 'hairy people'. This is also corroborated in the Shoku Nihongi, in which they are described consistently as having long beards and as "hairy" people, characteristics that have been used to describe the Ainu into the modern period.

Who Were the Emishi?
 
Aterui, he is a hero of tohoku region
サービス終了のお知らせ
http://www.city.oshu.iwate.jp/maibun/newpage4.htm
In kiyomizu Temple
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Monument_to_Aterui_and_More2.jpg
Accodung to Isabella Lucy Bird
Yoshitune and Ainu
澳门24小时线检测 - 首页_欢迎您!!
this is a big mystery.
He have died in Hiraizumi,Iwate.
Another basic misconception on Isabella's part concerns again the nature of the Shinto religion. On page 101 she remarks, "Nominally, he [Ito] is a Shintoist, which means nothing." This was apparently in reference to the fact that Ito had just spoken of "our Buddha," even though he was not a Buddhist. Further, on page 285 she describes the occasion on which Ainu ask if she would like to pray at a shrine dedicated to the Japanese hero Yoshitsune, who was venerated for his legendary kindnesses to the Ainu. Isabella declines the offer, saying that, after she explained to them that she "could only worship my own God, the Lord of Earth and Heaven, of the dead and of the living, they were too courteous to press their request." To her disgust, however, Ito accepts: "As to Ito, it did not signify to him whether or not he added another god to his already crowded Pantheon, and he 'worshipped,' i.e. bowed down, most willingly before the great hero of his own, the conquering race."

The pivotal point is that Shinto is a polytheistic religion, perhaps with a touch of animism, not a monotheistic belief like Christianity. Therefore, it does not detract from Ito's credentials as a Shintoist if he gives credence to Buddha and Yoshitsune. Held up to the yardstick of Christianity, or any other monotheistic religion, Ito would be found sorely lacking, and Isabella thus finds him.

Minamoto no Yoshitsune - Wikipedia
 
Aterui the Last Great " Fallen " Hero of Emishi 蝦夷の英雄 阿弖流爲

Atelier Aterui: Aterui the Great Hero of Emishi


Shogun Sakanoue no Tamuramara,was a commander in chief of the expeditionary army sent to the north of Japan to suppress the rebellion of Ainu people headed by Aterui based in Isawa,( Now,Iwate Prefecture) where the Japanese built Isawa Castle and thousands of Japanese immigrants from the Kanto region settled down.

He,finally defeated the troops of Aterui decisively in 802 and captured Aterui and his right hand More.Thus,their resistance over 30 years ended
.

サービス終了のお知らせ


* The last stronghold of the indigenous Ainu on Honshū and the site of many battles.Region consists of six prefectures: Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata Prefectures.

Tōhoku region - Wikipedia
 
An insightful report on racial discrimination of INDIGENOUS Japanese in Japan.
A small boy denies his Ainu ancestry for fear of being bullied in a society where conformity is valued above all else. The Ainu people of the northern island of Hokkaido are despised by the rest of Japan. Different in appearance and language they have suffered more than a century of discrimination. They are denied their traditional fishing rights, their sacred sites are being destroyed and tourists come to gawk at their culture in museums. Now, the Ainu are fighting back. They have at last won a seat in the Japanese parliament and many are re-learning the Ainu tongue. The Ainu are struggling to preserve their unique heritage in the face of an urbanised and uncaring modern Japan.

 
Genetic connection between Ainu & Jomon 縄文 people of Japan

English-subtilted video :)

 
These Emishi ppl were sent to Kanto region and Fukuoka Dazaifu.

it is said origin of " Azuma(east) Samurai clan was Emishi ppl".Indeed,Emishi was stronger than Yamato ppl.

Provide some links or back-up written articles regarding these claims :)
 


Group of Jomon sites in Aomori.

Aomori Prefecture (青森県, Aomori-ken ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori. Aomori was named after the Aomori Bay (青森湾; Aomori-wan), which the Ainu described simply as the "big bay" (大湾/アオモイ; Ao-moi).

http://www.net.pref.aomori.jp/aomori_jomon/english/national/national1.html

http://www.net.pref.aomori.jp/aomori_jomon/english/recommend/index.html

Aomori Prefecture - Wikipedia


* a recent Jref thread on Ainu recognised as indigenous people of Japan.

https://jref.com/showthread.php?t=38134
 
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