Ainu Museum

After leaving the Flower Festival we went to the grounds of the Hokkaido University Botanical Gardens, where the Ainu Museum is located.  The admission for the entire area is 400 yen per person.

The Ainu or Northern People’s Museum features “a display of valuable artifacts from the indigenous people of Hokkaido (including Ainu and Uilta). These were collected from around 1870 to 1930 (from Hokkaido’s colonization in the Mejii period to the early Showa period).” From the brochure.

There were some utilitarian and decorative items.

I was interested in the clothing, especially the embroidered pieces. It was displayed behind glass, so the photos aren’t as clear as my view when I was there.The detail looks to me like appliqué and decorative chain stitch. There were some cotton items and others made from elm fiber and nettle fiber.

There were also items made from birds and animals.

Our day was still not over.  After visiting the Ainu Museum, we continued around the grounds of the Botanical Gardens.  I’ll write about that soon.