Justifiably, the Ainu seemed a relic of a primitive hunting-and-gathering people who had inhabited northeastern Japan for thousands of years.

In recent years, there has been a fresh wave of interest in the Ainu people, due partly to “Golden Kamuy,” a manga series about a man hunting for lumps of gold left by the Ainu people ...

The Ainu believe that the world rests on the back of a giant trout, that otters caused human beings to be flawed, and that seeing an owl fly across the face of the moon at night is cause for great ...

The Ainu boast a unique culture and language. Until the 19th century, their main activities were hunting, fishing, gathering plants and farming. They also actively engaged with surrounding regions ...

Sugawara heard a range of stories, including how under the assimilation policy into Japanese society, the Ainu’s language had been forbidden alongside hunting and other traditional customs.