Celebrating the Ainu Legacy: Festival about marimo algae and Ainu traditions in Hokkaido

[Aepsilons]

The Marimo Matsuri festival started out as an effort to conserve the endangered marimo algae of Lake Akan. Marimo algae grow in fresh water and gather in large numbers to form green fuzzy balls. It takes more than 100 years for natural marimo algae to grow to a diameter of 10 centimeters, but the marimo algae in Lake Akan are the largest in the world, growing to a diameter of 30 centimeters. They are designated as Special Natural Monuments.

This festival was started by the Ainu people in 1950, who were concerned about the destruction of nature. Through marimo, they thank the god of the lake for the blessing of Mother Nature.

Lake Akan and marimo are closely associated with the indigenous Ainu people, who live mainly in Hokkaido, as is this festival.

The festival includes a lecture on the growth of marimo and field trips to their habitat. It also features the Marimo Dance Parade, the Marimo portable shrine and the Ceremony for Receiving Marimo, along with the Ceremony to Conserve Marimo in accordance with ancient Ainu traditions. Upon receiving marimo, gratitude is offered to the gods of Mother Nature for the past year’s blessings. The festival closes with the solemn Ceremony of Returning Marimo to the Lake, when marimo are carried on a canoe accompanied by an elderly Ainu chief and returned to the depths of the lake bed.

At night, you can watch the Pine Torch Procession.


Festival / Learn about marimo algae and Ainu traditions in Hokkaido - The Japan News

 

[Aepsilons]

Some pictures of Marimo Matsuri (Marimo Festival), an Ainu Legacy Practice. Enjoy, folks!

 

[Aepsilons]

 

[Aepsilons]

Lake Akan in Hokkaido,

 

[Zibago]

Lovely pics

 

[Aepsilons]

Lovely pics

Yes, indeed! You should come visit someday, my friend.

 

[Zibago]

Yes, indeed! You should come visit someday, my friend.

Maybe in the future

 

[Arya Desa]

So ainu are the tribal (indigenous) people of Japan?

 

[Aepsilons]

So ainu are the tribal (indigenous) people of Japan?

Yes, they are the indigenous people of Northern Japan. They are a proud people who have been living in the island of Hokkaido for over 6 thousand years, far longer than even the first 'Japanese' set foot on 'Japan' soil some 3,000 years ago. As you may or may not know, the modern day Japanese are actually descendents of Yayoi people who came from what is now the Chinese mainland; and when they arrived to the Japanese Archipelago some 3,000 years ago -- what they did was intermarry with the indigenous Jomon / Ainu people, the latter becoming subsumed into the Japanese Identity.

So it can be an accurate statement that modern day Japanese are a fusion of Chinese/ Korean immigrants with indigenous Jomon and Ainu.

My mother's side is Ainu Japanese, and her parents' side maintain a strong link to that beautiful, proud legacy. I suppose all Japanese should have a strong respect for their Ainu heritage and never let it be ignored.

So ainu are the tribal (indigenous) people of Japan?

In fact many of the famous Japanese in history have Ainu ancestry. One example was Admiral Heihachiro Togo, who commanded the Imperial Navy during the Russo-Japanese War. He was instrumental in wiping out the Russian Baltic Fleet in the Battle of Tsushima Straits; Admiral Togo had strong Jomon Japanese features, somewhat caucasoid in phenotype:

 

[Arya Desa]

Yes, they are the indigenous people of Northern Japan. They are a proud people who have been living in the island of Hokkaido for over 6 thousand years, far longer than even the first 'Japanese' set foot on 'Japan' soil some 3,000 years ago. As you may or may not know, the modern day Japanese are actually descendents of Yayoi people who came from what is now the Chinese mainland; and when they arrived to the Japanese Archipelago some 3,000 years ago -- what they did was intermarry with the indigenous Jomon / Ainu people, the latter becoming subsumed into the Japanese Identity.

So it can be an accurate statement that modern day Japanese are a fusion of Chinese/ Korean immigrants with indigenous Jomon and Ainu.

My mother's side is Ainu Japanese, and her parents' side maintain a strong link to that beautiful, proud legacy. I suppose all Japanese should have a strong respect for their Ainu heritage and never let it be ignored.




In fact many of the famous Japanese in history have Ainu ancestry. One example was Admiral Heihachiro Togo, who commanded the Imperial Navy during the Russo-Japanese War. He was instrumental in wiping out the Russian Baltic Fleet in the Battle of Tsushima Straits; Admiral Togo had strong Jomon Japanese features, somewhat caucasoid in phenotype:

Thx!


In regard to the bold part, a few cheenia I know told me Japanese people were criminals send to Japan ( a penal colony) by some cheena emperor? I guess that's a lie.

 

[Aepsilons]

Thx!


In regard to the bold part, a few cheenia I know told me Japanese people were criminals send to Japan ( a penal colony) by some cheena emperor? I guess that's a lie.

Definitely that is a lie. Japan was a state even before the first 'Chinese Emperor' rose to the throne. There was already a Japan long before there was a unified 'China'. That is a fact.

 

[Arya Desa]

Definitely that is a lie. Japan was a state even before the first 'Chinese Emperor' rose to the throne. There was already a Japan long before there was a unified 'China'. That is a fact.

Thank you for clarifying. They seem to have some short of complex vs the other East Asians, especially Japan. I was like "dub-tee-eff mate, Japan a penal colony?" I don't know much about Oriental history so I had to take it at face value (with a bucket of salt). Off topic, but another cheena told me once that Buddha was from South cheen. So I think their is a bit of nationalism in their historic lens.

 

[Aepsilons]

Thank you for clarifying. They seem to have some short of complex vs the other East Asians, especially Japan. I was like "dub-tee-eff mate, Japan a penal colony?" I don't know much about Oriental history so I had to take it at face value (with a bucket of salt). Off topic, but another cheena told me once that Buddha was from South cheen. So I think their is a bit of nationalism in their historic lens.

It appears to me that the Chinese you've come across with are not the most reliable of sorts. Perhaps outliers.

 

[Arya Desa]

It appears to me that the Chinese you've come across with are not the most reliable of sorts. Perhaps outliers.

Hopefully outliers but as seen in this thread https://defence.pk/threads/now-bid-to-push-back-antiquity-of-the-vedas.398314/
Asia is a continent who's history is soaked, drenched even, in nationalism and other biases. So I doubt the outlier, more probably the norm.


Anyways I digress. The Ainu are also the Japanese that live till 100 on average?

 

[Aepsilons]

Hopefully outliers but as seen in this thread https://defence.pk/threads/now-bid-to-push-back-antiquity-of-the-vedas.398314/
Asia is a continent who's history is soaked, drenched even, in nationalism and other biases. So I doubt the outlier, more probably the norm.


Anyways I digress. The Ainu are also the Japanese that live till 100 on average?

No, lol, the ones that live long are the Okinawans who live in the deep south of the country. Probably has something to do with their fish diet.

Ainu Japanese love to eat beef, bear meat, deer, pork, lamb, whales, lol. So higher incidence of cardiac issue later in life.