Exploring the Lands of the Ainu

Biratori

Aired: December 30, 2022 (UTC)


Information

In part 2 of this 5-part series, we visit the town of Biratori in Sarugun, Hokkaido, with a population of about 4,600 people. Blessed with beautiful nature, the town is full of traditional Ainu traditional crafts.
In the summer, the traditional ceremony of "Cipsanke" was held to launch new canoes. In addition to the preparations as well as the ceremony itself, this episode focuses on the young Ainu people living in the area today and how traditions are being passed on into the future.

Biratori is home to many of the representative traditional crafts of the Ainu people such as "Nibutani Ita" and "Nibutani Attus", as well as the "Nibutani Ainu Cultural Museum" and “Kayano Shigeru Nibutani Ainu Museum" which house valuable Ainu cultural items. Through these facilities and more, we will explore the beautiful spiritual world of the Ainu people, woven by the history of their culture and artisanship.

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