Alone with the Hairy Ainu, or, 3,800 miles on a pack saddle in Yezo and a cruise to the Kurile Islands ... With map, etc

Front matter

lHn_l_MlHtfMIII ________i V ALONE WITH THE HAIRY AINU. [Frtnitisfitce. PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR. When my clothes came to an cad I did without them." ALONE WITH THE HAIRY AINU. OR, 3,Soo MILES ON A PACK SADDLE IN YEZO AND A CRUISE TO THE KURILE ISLANDS. BY A. H. SAVAGE LANDOR. WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR. LONDON : JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 1893. LONDON : PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SON'S, LIMITED, STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS. I Dedicate tijts Book TO MY DEAR FATHER AND MOTHER.

Preface

. This book is not meant as a literary work, for I am not and do not pretend to be a literary man. It is but a record — an amplified log-book, as it were — of what befell me during my solitary peregrinations in Hokkaido, and a collection of notes and observations which I hope will prove interesting to anthropologists and ethnologists as well as to the general public. Without any claim to infallibility I have tried to take an open-minded and sensible view of everything I have attempted to describe ; in most cases, however, I have given facts with out passing an opinion at all, and all I have said I have tried to express as simply and plainly as possible, so as not to give rise to misunderstandings. There are a few points which I want to make quite clear. First, that I went to Hokkaido entirely on my own account and for my own satisfaction.

Next, that I accomplished the whole journey (some 4200 miles, out of which 3800 were ridden on horseback and on a rough pack-saddle) perfectly alone. By alone I mean that I had with me no friends, no servants, and no guides. My baggage consisted of next to nothing, so far as articles for my own convenience or comfort were concerned. I carried no provisions and no tent. I am endowed with a very sensitive nature, and I pride myself in possessing the gift of adaptability to an extreme degree, and this may partly explain why and how I could live so long with and like the Ainu, whose habits and customs, as my spaders will see, are somewhat different to ours. When I go to a country I do my best to be like one of the natives themselves, and, whether they are savage or not, I endeavour to show respect for them and their ideas, and to conform to their customs for the time being. I make up my mind that what is good for them must be good enough for me, and though I have occasionally had to swear at myself

PREFACE.

. X for "doing in Ainuland as the Ainu does," especially as regards the food, I was not much the worse for it in the end. I never use force when I can win with kindness, and in my small experience in Hokkaido and other countries I have always found that real savages in their simplicity are most " gentleman-like " people. With few exceptions they are good-natured, dignified, and sensible, and the chances are that if you are fair to them they will be fair to you. Civilised savages and barbarians I always found untrustworthy and dangerous. The Island of Yezo, with the smaller islands near its coast, and the Kurile group, taken together, are called "the Hokkaido." The Hokkaido extends roughly from 410 to 510 latitude north, and between 1390 and 1570 longitude east of Greenwich. My view of the origin of the word Ainu is this: Ainu is but a corruption or abbreviation of Ai-num, "they with hair," or "hairy men," or else of Hain-num, "come with hair," or "descended hairy."

Considering that the Ainu pride them selves above all things on their hairiness, it does not seem improbable to me that this may be the correct origin of the word, and that they called themselves after the distinguishing characteristic of their race. The word Ainu is a generic term, and is used both in the singular and plural ; but when specifying, the words Kuru (people, men), utaragesh (woman), etc., are generally added to it: viz., Ainu kitru, Ainu people, Ainu men ; Ainu utaragesh. an Ainu woman ; A inn utaragesh utara, several Ainu women. The Ainu population of Yezo is roughly reckoned by the Japanese at about 15,000 or 17,000 souls, but at least half this number are half-castes, and in my opinion (and I have visited nearly every Ainu village in Yezo) the number of thoroughbred Ainu does not exceed 8000 souls.

The illustrations in this book are my own, and are the reproductions from sketches which I took on the spot. They may not show much artistic merit, but they seem to me to be characteristic of the country and the people, and I hope that my readers will be impressed with them in the same way. A. Henry Savage Landor. CONTENTS.

Marital Relations, and Causes that limit Population . . 293

Appendix

. I. — Measurements of the Ainu Body, and Descriptive Characters 298 II. — Glossary of Ainu Words, many of which are found in Geographical Names in Yezo and the Kurile Islands . . 304 Index LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE Portrait of the Author — Frontispiece. Aputa . ...

I Ainu Woman saluting . 6 Toya Lake, near Aputa . n Fisherman's Hut . . 12 Pack-Saddle . . .18 Norboribets Volcano . . 19 Horobets . . . .21 Storehouses at Piratori . 22 Benry, the Ainu Chief of Piratori .... 25 Ainu Man waving his Moustache-lifter before drinking 29 Ainu Festival, An . . 30 Ainu Women dancing . 33 Piratori Woman in Costume 34 Utarop Rocks • • • 35 Ainu Lashed Canoe . . 37 Front View of Lashed Canoe 38 Ainu Oars .... 38 Sailing Canoe ... 38 Ainu Wooden Anchors . 39 Ainu Canoe, Top View of an 39 Erimo Cape ... 43 Natural Stone Archway, A . 44 Iwa Rocks at Biru . . 49 Ainu Houses and Storehouse, Frishikobets,Tokachi River 50 Madwoman of Yammakka . 55 Ainu Woman of Frishikobets, on the Tokachi River . 60 Shikarubets Otchirsh, The . 67 Ainu Man of the Upper Tokachi .... 68 PAGE Ainu Hook for Smoking Bear-Meat ... 77 Koro-pok-kura Fort . . 78 Flint Arrow-Heads . 78 Flint Knives ... 79 Koro-pok-kuru Pottery and Fragments of Designs . 86 Stone Adzes and Hammer . 94 Ainu Huts and Storehouses on Kutcharo Lake . . 95 Kutcharo Lake from Mount Yuzan .... 98 Sulphur Mine . . .100 Akkeshi in a Fog . .105 Ainu Man and Woman on Horseback . . . 106 Ainu Bits . . . .110 Semi- Ainu Rat Trap . .120 Ainu Woman of the Kurile Islands .... 121 Shikotan Ainu . . .126 Woman of the Kurile Islands .... 132 Abashiri Island . . . 133 Ainu Belle, An . . .140 Saruma Lagoon . . . 144 Eagle-displayed Sable, An . 145 My Host, the Madman . 148 Sarubuts, showing River - Course altered by Drift Sand . . . .157 Ainu Village on the East Coast of Yezo . . .166 Mashike Mountain . . 167 Ishikari Kraftu Ainu . .

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. XVI PAGE Kamui Kotan Rapids, The . 179 Woman of Ishikari River . 186 Ainu Bark Water Jugs . 187 Ainu Half-caste Child of Volcano Bay . . .194 Komatage Volcano, Volcano Bay . . . . 196 Wooden Drinking Vessels . 207 Kammakappe, The, &c. . 209 Ahunkanitte, The, &c. . 210 Atzis - Cloth in process of Weaving . . . .210 Roasting Hook . . .211 Ape-Kilai, The, or Earth- Rake .... 214 Pestle, Mortar, Spoon, &c. . 215 Ainu Pipe Holder and Tobacco Pouch . . . 217 Ainu Knife, with ornamented Sheath, &c. . . .218 Kike-ush-bashui, or Moustache-Lifters . . . 220 Suggestions of Leaves, &c. . 221 Elaborations of Chevrons, Wave Patterns, &c. . 222 Tchutti, or War-Clubs, &c. . 223 PAGE Ainu Knives . . . 224 Monuments for Women . 225 Wooden Monuments over Men's Grave . 225 Wooden Blade . . . 226 Ainu Pipe, An . . . 228 Ainu Man walking with Snow- Shoes .... 236 Thiaske-Tarra, The . 238 Atzis, The .... 245 Atzis, after Japanese Pattern 245 Winter Bear-skin Coat . 245 Atzis, Back of . . . 246 "Hoshi," The . . . 247 Boots, Deer-Skin Shoe, &c. 248 Tattoo-marks on Women's Arms .... 253 Snow-Shoes . . 254 Ainu Salutation . . -255 " Mukko," A, or Musical Instrument a a a a 258 Wooden Pipe, A . . 265 Naked Ainu Man from the North-East Coast of Yezo 274 Trophy of Bears' Skulls . 281 Inao-netuba, &c. . APUTA.

Chapter I

From Hakodate to Mororran — Volcano Bay — The first Ainu — A strange Institution among them. I HAVE often asked myself w hy I went to Yezo ; and, when there, what possessed me to undertake the laborious task of going round the island, up its largest rivers, travelling through' jungles and round lakes, climbing its highest peaks, and then proceeding to the Kuriles. There are certain things in one's life that cannot be accounted for, and the journey which I am going to relate is one of them. Pleasure and rest were the two principal objects which had primarily induced me to steer northwards ; but it was my fate not to get either the one or the other. I was on the Japanese ship the Satsuma Mane. Rapidly nearing the Hakodate Head, which we soon passed, we entered the well-protected bay and the town of Hakodate at the foot of the Peak came into view.

It looked extremely pretty, with its paper-walled houses and its tiled roofs, set against the background of brown rock with its fringe of green at the foot. As we cast anchor, hundreds of coolies, carrying on their backs loads of dried fish and seaweed, were running along the biend or wharf. A few musernes (girls), in their B pretty kimonos (gowns) and with oil-paper umbrellas, were toddling along on their wooden clogs, and a crowd of loafers stood gazing at the ship as she came to anchor. The Peak, more than iooo feet high, was towering on our south side, forming a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a sandy isthmus, and the large bay swept round us, forming nearly a circle. The place has a striking resemblance to Gibraltar. I landed, and put up at a tea-house, where I was in hopes of learning something regarding the island from the Japanese settlers, but no one knew anything.

The reports that there were no roads extending beyond a few miles ; that there was but very poor and scarce accommodation along the coast ; that the Ainu, who lived further north, were dirty people ; and that the country was full of bears, were certainly not encou raging to an intending traveller. I must confess that my first day in Yezo was a dull one ; but the second day I had the pleasure of meeting a Mr. H., a resident, who kindly offered me his hospitality, and the next two were pleasantly spent at his house. In conversation with a friend of his, I heard the remark that no man alone could possibly complete the circuit of the island of Yezo, owing to the difficulties of travel ; and my readers can imagine the astonishment of my interlocutors when I meekly said, that if no one had ever done it, I was going to do it ; and, indeed, that I intended to set out alone the next morning.

" Impossible ! " said one, " you are too young and too delicate." "Absurd !" said my kind host, "it would take a very strong man to do it — a man who could stand any amount of hard ships and roughing." At the same time he gave me a pitiful look, which undoubtedly meant, " You are a mere bag of skin and bones." However, the bag of skin and bones kept his word, not withstanding the poor opinion that his new friends had formed of him. The preparations for my journey were simple. In two large Japanese baskets I packed three hundred small wooden panels for oil-painting, a large supply of oil colours and brushes, a dozen small sketch-books, my diary, three pairs of boots, three shirts, an equal number of pairs of woollen I. A PRIMITIVE CONVEYANCE. 3 stockings, a revolver, and a hundred cartridges.

The re mainder of my luggage was left in charge of Mr. H. till my return. I did not burden myself with either provisions or a tent. I rose early the following morning and bade good-bye to my kind host. " Good-bye," said he, " I expect we shall see you back to-night to dinner." The word "dinner" was the last English word I heard from the mouth of an Englishman, and it was five long months before I heard another. The first thirty miles of my journey were ridden in a basha, a covered cart built on four wheels that ought to have been round, but were not. There were no springs for the comfort of the traveller, and no cushions on the seats. The conveyance was public, and was drawn by two sturdy ponies. The driver, a Japanese, carried a brass trumpet, on which he continually played. I might have begun my story by the usual " One fine day," if, unfortunately, the day on which I started the rain had not poured in torrents.

A Japanese policeman and a girl were my only fellow-passengers. Travelling at full gallop, on a rough road, in a trap with unsymmetrical wheels and with no springs, during a heavy storm, is scarcely what one would call a pleasant mode of progression ; but after some hours of " being knocked about," we went zig-zag fashion, first up a steep hill, then down on the other side, giving the horses a rest at a roadside tea-house by the famous lakes of Zenzai. The larger of these two lakes — the Ko-numa — is extremely picturesque, with its numerous little islands wooded with deciduous trees. In shape it is very irregular, and many points, which project into the lake, add to the loveliness of the scene, while the high ridge over which I had come, on the one side, and the rugged volcano of Komagatake on the other, form a beautiful background to the limpid sheet of water.

The outlet of this lake empties itself into Volcano Bay, S.E. of the Komagatake Volcano. The other lake, though smaller, is quite as striking, and possesses the same characteristics of its larger brother. It goes by the name of Ono-numa. A peculiarity of these lakes is that they abound in a smallish fish — the siena — which is greatly appreciated by the Japanese. I sat down in the tea-house on the soft mats, and my bento B — Japanese lunch — was served to me on a tiny table. There was water soup ; there was sea-weed ; there was a bowl of rice, and raw fish. The fish — a small fie na — was in a diminu tive dish and its back was covered by a leaf ; the head pro jected over the side of the plate. On the leaf were placed several neatly-cut pieces of the raw flesh, which had apparently been removed from the back of the underlying animal.

As I had been long accustomed to Japanese food of this kind I ate to my heart's content, when, to my great horror, the feena, which had been staring at me with its round eyes, relieved ot the weight that had passed from its back into my digestive organs, leaped up, leaf and all, from the dish and fell on the mat. All the vital parts had carefully been left in the fish, and the wretched creature was still alive ! " Horrible ! " I cried, violently pushing away the table and walking out disgusted, to the great surprise of the people present, who expected me to revel in the deliciousness of the dish. For days and days after I could see in my mind the staring eyes of the fiiena, watching each movement of my chopsticks, and its own back being eaten piecemeal ! Wherever I went this big eye stood before me, and increased or diminished in size according to my being more or less lonely, more or less. hungry.

I had often eaten raw fish before, but never had I eaten live fish ! The journey in the basha was resumed that afternoon, and, more dead than alive, I alighted in the evening at Mori, a small Japanese village at the foot of the Komagatake Volcano. The peak of this mountain is 4000 feet above the level of the sea, but its basin-like crater is at a somewhat lower altitude. Up to a certain height it is thickly wooded with deciduous trees and firs, thence its slopes are bare of vegetation, rugged in form, and very rich in colour. It makes part of a volcanic mass which extends from the Esan Volcano, further south, to the limit of the Shiribeshi province, crossing straight through the province of Oshima as far as the Yurap*^ dake Mountain. Komagatake is one of the most majestic and picturesque mountains I have ever seen, as it possesses lovely lines on nearly every side.

Its isolation and sudden sharp elevation, rising as it does directly from the sea, gives, of course, I. THE FIRST AINU. 5 a grand appearance to its weird and sterile slopes, which are covered with warmly-tinted cinders, pumice, and lava. I went over to Mororran, across Volcano Bay, and the following morning I risked my life on a small craft, which took me over to Mombets. From this place I rode on to Uso and Aputa, two Ainu villages at a short distance from each other. Coming from Japan the first thing that strikes a traveller in the Ainu country is the odour of dried fish, which one can smell everywhere ; the next is the great number of crows — the scavengers of the country ; lastly, the volcanic nature of the island. On visiting an Ainu village what impressed me most were the miserable and filthy huts, compared with the neat and clean Japanese houses ; the poverty and almost appalling dirt of the people and their gentle, submissive nature.

I shall not dwell at length on these Volcano Bay Ainu, as this part of the country is comparatively civilised, and has been travelled over by many people previous to my going there. Besides, most of them have intermarried with Japanese, and have consequently adopted many Japanese customs and manners. The Ainu of the coast build their huts generally on a single line, near the shore, and each family has its " dug out " canoe drawn up on the beach, ready to hand when wanted. The huts are small and miserable-looking, and they have no furniture or bedding to speak of. The roof and walls are thatched with arundinaria, but so imperfectly that wind and rain find easy access through their reedy covering. Curiosity is the only good quality which I ever possessed, and in obe dience to it I poked my nose into several of the huts along the beach.

This was a mistake on my part, for in the Ainu country the nose is the last thing one ought to poke in any where. I was more than astonished to see how human beings could live in such filth ! The natives kindly asked me to enter, and I of course did so, stooping low through the small door and raising the mat which protects the aperture. When I was in I could smell a great deal more than I could see, for the east window — the size of a small handkerchief, and the only one in the hut — did not give light enough to illuminate the premises. However, I soon got accustomed to the dimness, and then I could make out my surroundings clearly enough. There was an old man, perfectly naked, with a fine head, long white hair and beard, sitting on the ground among a mass of sea weeds, which he was disentangling and packing.

Two young women and two young men, with bright, intelligent eyes and high cheek-bones, were helping him in his work. In their quiet, gentle way they all brought their hands forward, each rubbed the palms together, and, lifting the arms, slowly stroked their hair, and the men their beard with the backs of their hands, while the women rubbed the first finger under the nose from the left to the right. This is their salutation, and it is most graceful. They seemed pleased to see me, and asked me to sit down. As there were neither chairs nor sofas, stools nor cushions, I squatted on the ground. Most Ainu of Volcano Bay understand Japanese, and they also speak it, interpolating Ainu words when necessary, so I began a con- AINU WOMAN SALUTING. versation. My presence did not seem to disturb them or arouse their curiosity, and, beyond gazing at the mother-of pearl buttons on my white coat, they did not appear to be struck by me.

Evidently the buttons were much more interesting to them than the person who wore them. Now and then they uttered a few words, but whenever one spoke some of the company seemed to be angry, as at an impertinence or a breach of etiquette. Men and women wore large ear-rings or pieces of red or black cloth, which added a great deal to their picturesqueness ; but the women were disfigured by a long moustache tattooed across the face from ear to ear. Rough drawings adorn the arms and hands of the women, and some of the younger females would undoubtedly be fine-looking if not disfigured by the tattoos, for they carry themselves well when walking, and possess comely features. Judging from appearances, I should think them very passionate. Coming out of the hut I saw a scene which I shall never forget.

Two naked boys, covered with horrible skin eruptions, had got hold of a large fish-bone, out of which they SKETCHING UNDER DIFFICULTIES. I. 7 were endeavouring to make a meal. Round them were gathered about thirty dogs, wild with hunger, barking furiously at the frightened children, and attacking and fighting them for that miserable repast. I walked along the beach, and endeavoured to make friends with some of the Ainu who were less shy than the others. One little girl was especially picturesque. She was only about ten, and her large eyes, tanned complexion, white teeth, the tiny bluish-black tattoo on her upper lip, her uncombed long black hair flying around her, and her red cloth ear-rings, made her indeed one of the quaintest studies of colour that I have seen in my life. I got her to sit for me ; and while I was painting her, an old man, the chief of the village, dressed up in a gaudy costume, with a crown of willow shavings on his head, came to me and made his "salaams."

He bore the name of Angotsuro, and before all his salaams were over he found himself " caught in the action " in my sketch-book. Many of the villagers had collected round, and one of them, a half-caste, expressed the wish that I should paint the chief in colours, like the picture of the girl. I asked for nothing better, and started an oil-sketch of him. The excitement of the natives who were witnessing the operation grew greater and greater as each new ornament in the chief's dress was put in the picture. Some seemed to approve of it, others were grumpy, and apparently objected to the picture being taken at all. The seance was indeed a stormy one ; and though the chief had his regal crown knocked off his head two or three times by the anti-artistic party, he sat well for his likeness, especially as I promised him in Japanese, that when the picture was completed he should be given a few coins and two buttons off my coat.

It was while portraying him that I noticed what extraordinary effects colours produce on those whose eyes are unaccustomed to them. A man in the crowd would get excited, and open his eyes wide and show his teeth every time I happened to touch with my brush the cobalt blue on my palette. Other colours had not the same effect on him. His eyes were continually fixed on the blue, anxiously waiting for the brush to dip in it, and this would then send him into fits of merriment. I squeezed some blue paint from a tube on to the palm of his hand, and he nearly went off his head with delight. He sprang and jumped and yelled, and then ran some way off, where he squatted on the sand, still in admiration of the blue dab on his hand, still grinning at intervals with irrepressible enjoyment. Where the point of the joke was no one but himself ever knew.

When the picture was finished I had no little trouble to keep the many fingers of my audience off the wet painting. Moreover, some person endowed with kindly feelings threw a handful of sand in my face, which nearly blinded me for the moment and partly ruined the two pictures I had painted. The money and the buttons were duly paid to Angotsuro and I moved on. That same evening I went out for a walk. It was a very dark night, and I love dark nights. When for some years you have done nothing but see strange things and new places there is indeed a great fascination in going about in com plete darkness ; it rests both your eyes and your brain. I walked for some time along the beach, stumbling against the canoes drawn on shore and against anything that was in my way. Hut after hut was passed, but everything was silent ; there was not a sound to be heard, not a light to be seen.

The Ainu are early people ; they retire with the sun. I walked on yet farther and farther afield, till through the thatched wall of one of the huts I discerned a faint light. I stood and listened. The sad voice of a man was singing a weird, weird song, the weirdest song I have ever heard. Then came a pause, and another voice, even more plaintive than the first, continued the same air. What with the strange melody in the hut, the soothing noise of the waves gently breaking on the shingle, and the distant howling of dogs or wolves, the mystic effect was such that I could not resist the temptation, and I crept into the hut. A fire was burning in the centre, but it had almost gone out, leaving a lot of smoke. Three old men were sitting on the ground. They decidedly looked as if they did not expect me, but, after their first astonishment was over, they asked me to squat down in a corner, and there I was left to amuse myself, while they resumed their singing and drinking.

Of the latter they seemed to have had enough already ; but, all the I. AINU MODE OF TESTING COURAGE. 9 same, several wooden bowls, about five inches in diameter and two deep, were passed round and emptied in no time. The more they drank, the wilder and more melancholy the song became. Only one at a time sang, and he would begin in a very low tone of voice and go up in a crescendo, gradually getting awfully excited ; then all at once he would stop, as if the effort had been too great for him. His head drooped, and he seemed to sleep. Then, suddenly waking up, coming back to his full senses in a startling manner, he drained one of the bowls, which meantime had been refilled, and resumed the song. The three men were facing each other, and so absorbed were they in their music that, though I was not more than four feet away from them, they seemed to have forgotten me altogether.

I was so impressed with the strangeness of the song that I pulled out my pencil and paper to write down the air. As there was no light but the flicker of the fire, I turned the white leaf of my sketch-book toward it to see what I was writing. This caught the eye of one of the men. He woke up, startled from his musical dream, jumped to his feet, and made a dash for me, yelling some words which I did not understand, and hold ing over my head something that I could not distinguish at the moment owing to the dimness of the light. Standing thus he paused, evidently waiting for an answer to something he had said. It came from one of the other fellows, who pushed him so violently as to send him sprawling on the floor, while, what he held in his hand — a big, heavy, pointed knife — fell and stuck deep in the ground about an inch from my toes.

A dispute arose among themselves, but among the Ainu everything ends up in a drink. The large wooden bowls were again refilled ; grand bows were made to me, and they all stroked their hair and beard several times — a sign of great respect. I was then handed one of the bowls and made to swallow the contents. But, heavens ! never have I felt any liquid work its way down so far. Had I swallowed fire it could not have been as bad ; and, indeed, it was neither more nor less than liquid fire. As the night was wearing fast, and the old fellows had got on well with their drink, the sing-song became rather too languid and monotonous ; and I crept out of the hut as quietly as I had entered it, not without first giving the inmates something for their trouble. I had some difficulty in finding my way back to my less musical quarters ; and passing too close to some of the other huts, the dogs — which infest all Ainu villages — barked furiously and roused the whole place.