The Ainu Mosir
and the Two Seas
太平洋
Border between Eastern Ezochi and Wajin Lands
In the Pacific region (Funka Bay) of Yakumo, many place-names that originate in the Ainu language still remain, such as Otoshibe (O-tes-pet), Nodaoi (Nup-tay), and Yurappu (Yu-rap), as well as several scenic spots with connections to Ainu legends, such as Kuroiwa Rock. Furthermore, after the border between Ezochi (Ainu lands) and Wajin lands was revised in the late Edo period, the “Sekimon” (Gateway) where people crossed the border was relocated to “Yamukushinai Kaisho” (Trade Office) on the Ezochi side, which became the place where passage to Ezochi was regulated.
*太平洋(The Pacific Ocean)
日本海
Border between Western Ezochi and Wajin Lands
Wajin people came to live on the Sea of Japan coast from early times, partly due to the herring fishing boom. Matsumae Domain decreed that the Wajin territory extended as far as Kumaishi on the Sea of Japan coast, and that the lands beyond were Western Ezochi, Ainu territory. The domain designated separate residential districts for Ainu and Wajin people, established a Bansho (Guardhouse) in Kumaishi, and controlled the entry of Wajin ships into Ainu lands. During the Edo period, trade with Honshu through the Kitamae cargo ships thrived in Esashi, and Kumaishi developed considerable wealth through herring fishing.
*日本海(The Sea of Japan)
Matsumae Domain prescribed separate residential areas for Ainu people and Wajin, and decreed that the Wajin territory extended as far as Kumaishi on the Sea of Japan coast, and that the lands beyond were Western Ezochi. In addition, the domain designated the Pacific coast as “Eastern Ezochi”. Before long, the Wajin territory had spread as far as Yui on the Funka Bay coast.
History of Yakumo, South Hokkaido, and the Ainu
The South Hokkaido region was settled by Wajin (mainland Japanese) relatively early in comparison to Hokkaido as a whole. It can therefore be said that the number of villages where the indigenous Ainu people carried out their traditional ways of life declined faster than in other regions. As a result, materials relating to South Hokkaido Ainu are extremely rare in Japan. However, in Yakumo Town, two major collections have survived, namely the Yu-rap Ainu Shiiku Materials (currently in the collection of the Hakodate City Museum) Otoshibe Ainu Pirika-Kai Materials (currently held by the Matsumae Town Board of Education). In addition, several Wajin carried out surveys and patrols of Ezochi conducted at the end of the Edo period, and many notes of these journeys have been preserved.
Sugae Masumi and Yakumo
Sugae Masumi, a Wajin who traveled through South Hokkaido’s Ezochi lands and had direct contact with Ainu people, left detailed accounts of Ainu life and culture in several regions, accompanied by illustrations.
Matsuura Takeshiro and Yakumo
Matsuura Takeshiro, who carried out a survey of the entire island of Hokkaido on foot between 1845 and 1858, left a detailed record of his visit to the Yurappu River, on the Funka Bay coast, in his “Higashi Ezo Nisshi” (Journal of Eastern Ezo). During his survey of Ezochi, Takeshiro occasionally visited Yui Inari Shrine at the border to the Wajin lands on the Funka Bay coast, where he would give offerings and pray for safety on his journey. In the present day, a Waka poem composed by Takeshiro is displayed at Yui Inari Shrine.
Exchange between the Indigenous Ainu People and Yakumo’s Settlers
By the late 1870s, a large-scale settlement by the Owari-Tokugawa family existed in the downstream area of the Yurappu River, and the Tokugawa Family Cultivation Experiment Station was opened. This later became the Tokugawa Farm. In the Taisho period, Tokugawa Yoshichika, who was the head of the Owari-Tokugawa family, carried out bear-hunting together with the indigenous Ainu people, and developed a close association with them. In Yakumo Town, the relationship between the Ainu people and the settlers was one of friendship, and there is a history of mutual support between the two groups.
