Domestic Animals of the Ainu
The historic Ainu had little need for domestic animals on their cold but lush islands. As a result, dogs were their only important animal for several centuries. Dogs held a…
Location: Hokkaido, Japan
Hokkaido Hunting Dogs and Sakhalin Huskies
The historic Ainu had little need for domestic animals on their cold but lush islands. As a result, dogs were their only important animal for several centuries. Dogs held a unique role in Ainu spiritual belief. Unlike most other animals, they retained their individual identities after death and could follow their masters to the afterlife. They served Kim-un Kamuy, the bear god, and were sacrificed during Iyomante to guide the cub's spirit home. They could also see the spirits of the dead or, in the afterlife, the living.
Ainu people kept two basic types of dog. The Hokkaido Ainu raised a hunting breed now known as Hokkaido dogs, or Ainu-ken. They are famous for their bravery as deer and bear hunters. Certain dogs were even said to help fishermen during the salmon run. Hokkaido dogs are rare outside of Japan, but they are growing in popularity.[1][2][3]
The Sakhalin Ainu bred dogs primarily for food and transportation. All but the strongest male dogs were neutered, while extra females were eaten in times of famine. The resulting dogs were strong and hardy survivors. In 1958, a Japanese research team in Antarctica was forced to evacuate before a storm. In the rush, they left their team of Sakhalin huskies chained to the ice with limited food. When they returned to the site a year later, they found that two of the dogs had escaped and survived on their own. Taro and Jiro became instant celebrities in Japan.[4]
Tame Bears and Hawks in Ainu Culture
Many Ainu households also kept a small bear cage near the home. This was used when hunters found a den with a mother bear and her cubs. Orphaned cubs were taken back to the village and placed in the care of women. They became members of the family, treated with warmth and affection. Once the bear had reached two or three years of age, the village held a ritual sacrifice to send its spirit back to Kim-un Kamuy.[5] The Ainu also trapped hawks, highly valued by members of the Japanese nobility.[6]
Horses and Later Ainu Livestock
After the Japanese established outposts on Hokkaido, more domestic animals entered Ainu culture. Families began keeping chickens, pigs, and other livestock as over-hunting and -fishing depleted the island’s natural resources. The Ainu also became adept horsemen. Many villages kept semi-wild herds, driving them in to be re-tamed as needed. Although cats were recognized as a valuable pest control, most Ainu houses did not keep them. Born from the ashes of a demon, they were reportedly able to inflict painful vengeance on anyone who wronged them.[7][8]
Bibliography
Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, Illness and Healing Among the Sakhalin Ainu: A Symbolic Interpretation (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1981), 45.
Basil Hall Chamberlain, Aino Folk-Tales (London: Privately Printed for the Folk-lore Society, 1888), 42-43.
John Batchelor, The Ainu and Their Folk-lore (London: Religious Tract Society, 1901), 473-474.
Igor I. Solar, Taro and Jiro - A Story of Canine Strength and Tenacity, Digital Journal, November 21, 2012, accessed October 28, 2016.
Batchelor, 480-490.
Brett L. Walker, The Conquest of Ainu Lands: Ecology and Culture in Japanese Expansion, 1590-1800 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001), 110-111.
Frederick J. Simoons, Eat Not This Flesh; Food Avoidances in the Old World (Madison: Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 1961), 153.
Batchelor, 170.
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