Ainu

[Steffieeee]

Ainu swords or knives, preferably the former

[b.hennick]

pm sent

 

[Peter Bleed]

Dear STEFd,

You ask an interesting question. I have collected Ainu stuff for sometime and, indeed, have some items that I am thinking of -ahhh - shedding. Indeed I have formed three Ainu collections and "returned" two of them to a museum in Sendai. I also have a rather large library on Ainu material culture. Ainu "swords" are fairly broadly defined. They are also rather frail so they are often not in great shape!. I'd be eager to hear about your interests. Indeed, I think we all would. My main interests are with field knives and so-called makiri. Might there be any reason to send you some snapshots?

[Ben123]

On 3/6/2023 at 3:48 PM, Peter Bleed said:

Dear STEFd,

You ask an interesting question. I have collected Ainu stuff for sometime and, indeed, have some items that I am thinking of -ahhh - shedding. Indeed I have formed three Ainu collections and "returned" two of them to a museum in Sendai. I also have a rather large library on Ainu material culture. Ainu "swords" are fairly broadly defined. They are also rather frail so they are often not in great shape!. I'd be eager to hear about your interests. Indeed, I think we all would. My main interests are with field knives and so-called makiri. Might there be any reason to send you some snapshots?

It’s an interesting subject. Do you have photo of your collection? 

I know it doesn’t really have anything to do with nihonto but you got me interested.

[Bugyotsuji]

A year or two back a friend sent me a link to a travel diary of a Westerner visiting Hokkaido in the early Meiji period. A fascinating insight into the Ainu way of life and culture which, despite some inroads from the south, was quite different to that of mainland Japan, and still widespread and vibrant. There were a few non-PC utterances in the diary, and some observations that Puritans might not approve of, but now I wish I had kept the link.

[Bazza]

Wow, something I 'collected' has at last become useful!!  Not quite early Meiji, but I don't think much had changed by 1919...  I think I can track down your early Meiji reference Piers san, but it might take some time in the best 'Gunnadoo' tradition!!

 

BaZZa.

 

YWCA film of AINU in 1919.doc

https://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/a-trip-through-Japan-with-the-ywca-ca-1919#

 

 

[Bazza]

On 3/26/2023 at 1:31 PM, Bugyotsuji said:

A year or two back a friend sent me a link to a travel diary of a Westerner visiting Hokkaido in the early Meiji period. A fascinating insight into the Ainu way of life and culture which, despite some inroads from the south, was quite different to that of mainland Japan, and still widespread and vibrant. There were a few non-PC utterances in the diary, and some observations that Puritans might not approve of, but now I wish I had kept the link.

BaZZa replied:

>  I think I can track down your early Meiji reference Piers san, but it might take some time in the best 'Gunnadoo' tradition!!

 

Well, here we are many weeks later and I believe I've cracked both Piers' san and my vague memories on this personage, who I believe is none other than Isabella Bird.  Here are my findings:

 

Google keywords: Japan hokkaido isabella bird

 

This link is an excellent start to following Isabella’s Bird’s travels in Japan.  It is written by Kanasaka Kiyonori.  Born Toyama Prefecture, 1947. Professor emeritus at the Kyoto University, where he specializes in human geography and the works of Isabella Bird and his photo exhibitions. Made an honorary member of the Royal Geographical Society in recognition for his work on Isabella Bird and his photo exhibitions. Has published complete annotated translations of Bird’s chronicles of her travels in Japan and several book-length studies of Bird and her life and times.

https://www.nippon.c...Japan-topics/g00829/

 

This is essentially a review of Prof. Kiyonori’s book and a brief description of Isabella Bird and her travels in Japan, especially Hokkaido:

https://www.Japan.go...h_isabella_bird.html

 

This link explores the detail of Isabella Bird’s extensive world travels .  It is a good portrait of the Lady:

https://allthatsinte...ng.com/isabella-bird

 

This is a 2015 brief introduction to Isabella Bird’s original (?) 1880 2-volume Unbeaten Tracks in Japan.  It is a lead-in to a research article Victorian Literature and Culture , Volume 43 , Issue 2: EDITORS' TOPIC: The Nineteenth-Century Pacific Rim , June 2015 , pp. 371 – 388:
https://www.cambridg...f%20Hokkaido%20(270).

 

BaZZa.

Edited July 7, 2023 by Bazza
punctuation

[Bugyotsuji]

Actually what you have dug up in the meantime is fascinating BaZZa. Many thanks.

 

What I do vaguely remember is that it was a male who wrote the travelogue, that it had some male chauvinist content, that it was not published, and that the present owner wanted to keep it that way.

 

PS Not too long ago NHK had a documentary on Isabella Bird.

[Tengu1957]

Here is a Ikupasuy ( prayer stick ) I have ( top one ). The Ainu never sold these so they are hard to find.