The Ainu seek to integrate their folklore into urban areas of Japan

The Ainu , an indigenous people living predominantly in northern Japan.

This indigenous people has a unique culture and language and rich cultural traditions. Until the 19th century their main activities were hunting, fishing, gathering plants and agriculture. They also had trade and other forms of exchange with the surrounding regions.

During the Meiji era in the 19th century, assimilation policies threatened the Ainu way of life. Many of their traditions were outlawed, including salmon fishing, poison arrow hunting, and tattooing for adult women.

Although Hokkaido has the largest Ainu population, there are many of them living in and around Tokyo, where they still face discrimination and lack of awareness.

Many people still believe that the Ainu live in thatched houses and hunt for food. This is why Shimada Akemi, a woman of Ainu descent, is working to change this by trying to preserve the Ainu culture, with pride in its roots.

Shimada was born into an Ainu family in Hokkaido. At the age of 20, he moved to Kawasaki, a city between Yokohama and Tokyo, to work at an electronics manufacturer.

To increase awareness of Ainu culture in the Tokyo region , Shimada Akemi organized a festival to connect community members with their heritage through language and traditions.

Shimada remembers that adapting to urban life was not as difficult as he thought. In Hokkaido, people are quick to discriminate against the Ainu. However, in the city the Ainu are often seen as foreigners or half Japanese.

So he soon realized that the discrimination had to do with a lack of knowledge of Ainu culture. Many people reject the Ainu and their customs, which is why many Ainu prefer to hide their heritage and go unnoticed. It is something very common that the same parents do not tell their children that they are Ainu. Many of them learn of their Ainu heritage when they are older. And Shimada was no exception as he tried to hide his Ainu identity whenever possible.

Very few Ainu in the Tokyo area participate in Ainu cultural activities or try to raise awareness of their heritage.

In 2008, the Japanese government expressed its intention to promote policies based on the recognition that the Ainu are an indigenous people. But having no legal value, the declaration did not serve to improve their status or increase awareness and respect among the general population, the problems facing the Ainu remained unresolved and the struggle continued.

With this, Shimada drew inspiration from New Zealand, another country with a strong indigenous heritage. Meeting Te Ururoa Flavell, a former Maori Party leader who was visiting Japan in 2012, she told him about the issues and challenges facing the Ainu and was impressed with how Maori have been able to assert their rights.

It is important to have a living language to maintain cultural vitality and pass this legacy on from generation to generation. Language is the carrier of culture.

In 2018 the manga “Golden Kamuy” was published. The story is about a veteran of the Russo-Japanese War of the early 20th century and his quest to find a large fortune of gold from the Ainu people, aided by a young Ainu woman named Asirpa.

The manga was well received and has helped make much of the Ainu culture and traditions known in a more engaging and engaging way.