Some of the artists on display have worked on both the Golden Kamuy series and Ghost of Yotei. However while there were many mentions of and displays about the former, there were none about the latter - likely because it didn't take hold in Japan while GK still has lots of Pop Culture relevancy here
A photograph of an exhibition showing various Ainu crafts woven from Attus (tree bark). Two large robes are annotated with a infographic showing how attus fabric is made.
A photograph of three embroidered Ainu robes on display which were made for the Golden Kamuy movie. The clothes belonging to Asirpa, the Ainu protagonist, are in the centre.
A wide shot of the Ainu exhibition. In the foreground is a raised tatami platform which is serving as a demonstration area for weaving of attus fabric.
For anyone who’s in Kansai and is interested in Ainu culture, there’s an exhibition being held on floor 9 of the Hankyu Umeda department store in Osaka until the 20th.
Various works from Nibutani Ainu are on display (and on sale!). Props and costumes from the Golden Kamuy movie are on display too.
Japan’s Conservative Party has very few seats in the Diet. They are also the only party in the diet that denies Ainu indigineity.
Most Japanese parties don’t have mic policy regarding Ainu matters, but they tend to agree with the government’s recognition of their indigenous status.
Kikawada Hitoshi, the minister in charge of Ainu policy, has pushed back at Hyakura’s remarks, saying “There has been no change in our recognition that they [the Ainu] are an indigenous people of the northern part of the Japanese archipelago, particularly Hokkaidō”.
Good they’re reaffirming that.
It's so the dogu can find their way there
The rest of the images in the series pointed out in the aforementioned post, pointing out the location of Aomori prefecture and detailed instructions in the final panel on how to visit the Sannai-Maruyama Jomon site.
This is from the access page for the Sannai-Maruyama Jomon Site and Museum. It's followed by a few other panels that point out where Aomori Prefecture is lol
A screenshot of the "How to access" page of a museum in Japan. The title is "Access Map", followed by an image (in a series of images), which circles Japan on a World map, annotated with a big red arrow overlayed with the word "JAPAN" in capital letters.
Funiest way for a Japanese museum to start their Access page
I posted this on Twitter and it got more than 100K likes
New favourite clip from Japanese news just dropped
They also express concern Russia might use "protecting Ainu" as an excuse to invade Hokkaido in a manner similar to how they used Russian speakers to invade Ukraine. An alleged remark by Putin calling Ainu "Indigenous people of Russia" was mentioned, but Russia doesn't officially recognise Ainu.
Hyakuta also called the UN's calls to recognise Okinawans as Indigenous as "propaganda aimed at dividing Japan", with Arimoto adding their own claim that this is instigated by China as a means of avoiding criticism of their own treatment of minorities.
At a press conference on the 6th, Naoki Hyakuta, leader of the Japan Conservative Party, questioned the government's recognition of Ainu Indigeneity.
Party Secretery General Kaori Arimoto also questioned the 2008 resolution calling for Ainu recognition, saying it should be overturned.
【拡散希望】
上記に述べたアカウントは生成AIでアイヌ文化、言語と歴史を再現してみています。正しくない文様、音楽などで誤解や誤表現を生み、正しい理解や継承を脅かしています。
他の人を知らせて、完全に避けることをお勧めします。
This post clearly struck a nerve with the perpetrating account because it turns out they have me blocked now lol.
Anyway, a reminder to be wary of this account and its contents, and any other accounts trying to use generative AI to make money off of minority cultures while spreading misinformation.
Happy Easter everyone!
✝️🐣
A picture of several cherry blossom trees at full bloom with a slightly cloudy sky in the background.
Talking about hanami in three of Japan’s languages.
“The cherry blossoms are blooming and they’re beautiful”
Japanese /日本語: 桜の花が咲いて綺麗だね。
Yonaguni /どぅなんむぬい: さくらぬ はな さてぃ あびゃんすや。
Ainu / Aynuitak: Karimpani nonno heciraspa wa pirka na.
まあその上、経験豊富な日本のデザイナーで教わったのでそれは影響を与えると思う。
対象言語が理解できればあまり問題はないと思うけど、もちろん国と文化によって違う。
たとえば僕が聞いた限りでは、非インド人としてインド文字をやってみたら、インド人のデザイナーからの反応の方が強そうです。
最近日本のタイプデザイナーと話して「和文書体を作っているから日本人デザイナーからの差別を感じたことある？」と聞いてくれたが、全くないと思う。
日本語ネイティブじゃないから和文書体に取り組むのは驚いているという反応があるが、いつも嬉しそうです。
日本人デザイナーと同じく扱われます。
A map of Hokkaido with state-owned forests in green, and Ainu-joint-owned forests in red. Ainu forest ownership accounts for just 0.62% of total national forest in Hokkaido Prefecture. Image via https://mori-kawa-umi.com
Lake Akan is part of Kushiro City - 3,028.15 hectares of its forests are set aside for Ainu common-ownership, which is 0.10% of the total state-owned forest in Hokkaido.
In total, 18,868.43 hectares of state-owned forest across the island is apportioned for Ainu use, 0.62% of Hokkaido's total.
Nippon Paper Industries and the Akan Ainu Association have signed an agreement to use approximately 3,000 hectares of company-owned forest along Lake Akan for the preservation and promotion of Ainu culture - such as gathering plants for traditional cuisine - while conserving the natural environment.
City names.
市名。
Japan’s Last Generation of Sign Painters
fontstand.com/news/essays/... (featured in the most recent Sign Design Society newsletter signdesignsociety.co.uk)
Something that I noticed when looking at the Ainu version is how they translated the term for the Kaitakushi (The Hokkaido Development Commission) as Yaunmosirwentekur - "people who made Hokkaido worse".
Very significant departure from previous statements by the University.
Hokkaido Shimbun reports that differences in the wording between the Japanese and English versions of the statement has some experts and Ainu questioning it.
www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/1293...
The full statement is available here in English:
www.hokudai.ac.jp/pr/pdf/hokud...
This petition was just handed over to the city government, who seems to have indicated that they are going to consider measures to limit discriminatory remarks.
Hokkaido University has also just released a “Statement of Respect for the Indigenous People of the Land on Which It Is Located”.
Students in the inaugural class of an Ainu craft school in Hokkaido are set to graduate soon, after completing their training to acquire skills of the Indigenous ethnic group. 👉 ebx.sh/YoC3vf
A Japanese civics textbook was revised after reviewers warned wording on Ainu, Okinawans, and foreign residents could mislead students into seeing them as outsiders.
“To what extent is Japan able to respect such people?” was changed to “To what extent are we able to respect such people?”.
Thank you!!
Hopefully I can get the mortgage finalised and then I can finish everything else. But I was not expecting buying to be easier than renting lol
