Music holds a significant role among the Ainu, an indigenous people of northern Japan. It accompanies various ceremonies and social activities, playing an integral part in their cultural practices.
Both song and dance serve a variety of social and ceremonial functions within Ainu communities. Engaging in dance, whether for personal enjoyment or performance, plays a crucial role in transmitting Ainu culture. Similarly, singing is an important element of Ainu life, whether for entertainment, in some ceremonies or to accompany everyday work activities.
Dance
Ainu dance encompasses distinctive features deeply rooted in Ainu culture. Reflecting a profound connection to nature, dance can artfully mimic the movements of animals such as birds and bears, as well as natural landscapes like flowing rivers. In addition, dance can be highly ceremonial, which is evident in dances like the Iyomante (mirroring a bear’s life cycle) and dynamic bow and sword ritual dances that evoke combat agility and strength. Other styles include shamanic dances, portrayals of daily life (such as hunting or fishing), and entertainment dances. Performances are enhanced by costumes crafted from bark fibre, animal skins, and cloth. Rhythmic accompaniment involves chanting and percussion instruments like mukkuri, tonkori, and drums. Many dances are performed by a group in a large circle.
A gallery featuring Ainu Singing and Dancing in Biratori, Hokkaido.
- Ainu Singing and Dancing in Biratori, Hokkaido
Distinct characteristics define the dances of each region. In Biratori (a Hokkaido municipality that encompasses the town of Nibutani, inhabited by a community of over 300 people of Ainu descent), dances are inspired by the birds along the local Saru River. Chak piyak captures the swifts in flight; Huntori hunchikap depicts ravens bathing in the water; Hararaki embodies the crane playing in the wetlands; and Anna hore (Bird dance) vividly recalls birds flapping their wings.
Festivals like Cipsanke in August provide an opportunity for the community to partake in cherished dances while wearing Ainu robes. The significance of Ainu dance was officially acknowledged in 1984 when it was designated as an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan. Furthermore, UNESCO recognized its cultural importance in 2009 by including it on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In Nibutani, children learn Ainu dances as part of their Ainu language classes.
Song
Ainu musical tradition encompasses a variety of instruments and song genres. Notable instruments include the mukkuri, a small idiophone made of nemagaridake (bamboo), primarily played by women. The tonkori, a plucked string instrument played by both men and women, features five strings crafted from fibres from ezoirakusa or tendons from whales, deer, or reindeer. Ainu songs cover a diverse range, including ceremonial upopo songs focusing on activities like games or work, rekuhkara throat singing, yukar epic songs performed as long monologues, expressive yaysama songs about the self, and Ainu lullabies designed for soothing infants.
A gallery of 1 item.
Upopo songs are sung in a unique setting – around the lid of a treasure box (sintoko) – while maintaining a rhythmic beat. Constructed around rhythmic patterns known as ukouk, these songs are a traditional practice often led by women. The distinctive features of upopo lie in the emphasis on voice effects and rhythm. Singing is also the only accompaniment for Ainu dance in the Biratori region.
Learn more about the Ainu people and their contemporary life through our exhibition Ainu Stories: Contemporary Lives by the Saru River, on display in the Gallery at Japan House London from 16 November 2023 until 21 April 2024. The exhibition is complemented by a rich programme of online and in-person events.