The Okhostk culture thrived in northern Hokkaido from the fifth to ninth centuries and may have provided the Ainu with some ...

The Penn Museum, in collaboration with the Penn Libraries, recently launched various Ainu-themed programming, including a ...

After centuries of forced assimilation, Japan’s indigenous Ainu population, language and culture are emerging once more ...

In Japan, the Indigenous community known as the Ainu has been struggling to assert a 21st century identity after decades of erasure. About 20 years ago, the government officially recognized them as ...

Shida pointed to the history of the Ainu people, who have long been exploited and discriminated against by Japanese colonizers. “There are some among the Ainu people who react strongly against ...

In 2008, the government belatedly recognized the Ainu as Japan’s indigenous people. (This article was written by Yuta Kayaba and Fumiko Yoshigaki.) ...

Kings and Generals continues its animated historical documentary series on Japan, exploring the history behind Sony’s newly announced game, Ghost of Yotei. Set in early 17th-century Hokkaido, the game ...

Creation legends and folk tales swirl like snow and leaves across the protected landscapes of Japan. This selection of four ...

For 35 years, Kamui Mintara (Playground of the Gods), by Ainu sculptor Nuburi Toko and his son Shusei, has stood on Burnaby Mountain as a testament to the “goodwill” between Burnaby and its sister ...

To explore these environments means not only enjoying rural Japan in all its raw physical beauty, but also passing into other realms of elder gods and animating spirits. The Ainu people indigenous ...