Hood, Sakhalin Ainu, 19th century (Gift of the Hokkaido Project Management Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce)
Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room 16
January 2, 2025 (Thu) - March 16, 2025 (Sun)
Ainu culture is distinctively unique. From the 1200s onward, the Ainu people in Sakhalin, the Kurile Islands, Hokkaido, and the northern Tōhoku region began trading with peoples based in the Amur River Basin and Maritime Province of Siberia, as well as people from mainland Japan. These exchanges, together with subsistence activities of the Ainu such as hunting, fishing, and foraging, have shaped their culture into what it is today.
Ainu-related artifacts in the Tokyo National Museum’s collection consist of materials and objects transferred from the bureau for the 1873 Vienna World’s Fair and those donated by private owners.
This exhibit mainly introduces the material culture of the northern peoples based in regions such as the Maritime Province of Siberia and Sakhalin, who have traditionally had interactions with the Ainu.
Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
Highlight | Necklace | Hokkaido Ainu | 19th century | K-27552 | |||
Highlight | Hood | Sakhalin Ainu | 19th century | Gift of the Hokkaido Project Management Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, K-25887 | |||
Highlight | Saddle Cover | Sakhalin Wilta | 19th century | K-27853 | On exhibit through February 2, 2025 | ||
Highlight | Sheath Knife | Sakhalin Ainu | 19th century | Gift of Mr. Tokugawa Yorisada, K-27999 | |||
Highlight | Coat | Created in Primorsky Krai, Russia (Ethnic group unknown) | 19th century | TK-2149 | On exhibit through February 2, 2025 | ||
Ritual Hoe-Shaped Crest | Hokkaido Ainu, Found in Kuriyama Town, Hokkaido | 19th century | Gift of Mr. Oda Katsukichi and Mr. Izumi Rintarō, K-27529-2 | ||||
Highlight | Trade Ceremony between the Ainu and the Japanese | By Hirasawa Byōzan (1822–1876) | 1871 (Meiji 4) | Private collection | On exhibit from February 4, 2025 |