Life of the Ainu People

The Ainu people have long lived in the harsh climate of the Japanese archipelago's most northern areas including Hokkaido and other neighboring islands. They worshipped and lived in harmony with nature. They lived in villages called Kotan that consisted of square one-room wooden houses called chise. Each chise was accompanied by a storehouse, an animal cage, an altar, and a toilet. While chise design shows certain regional differences, they generally had a fireplace in the center, a head seat in the inner section, and a place to keep treasures in one corner. In houses, men mended hunting tools and made ritual implements such as iku-pasui and inau, while women made garments and mats, and prepared meals.

This exhibition consists of various weaving tools, garments, and cloth, wooden bowls, and other daily utensils, as well as house and ship models to introduce the life of the Ainu people.