An illustration from a magazine by Takabatake Kasho

Late Meiji work that displayed some of the disjunct and subversive ideas of the time.

Later woodblock print with elements of contradiction and disregarding reality

Portrait of a present day Ainu man.

A portrait of an Ainu woman from the 1920s.

Illustration of Ainu people fishing on byobu wall screens.

Omusha is the Ainu word for "greetings". However, it became loosely related to the Japanese word "onsha" meaning "favor and gratitude" which turned the Ainu ceremony of welcoming guests into a place where the Japanese reinforced their rule over the…

The Ainu traditionally performed a number of different kinds of dances as part of both social and religious ceremonies. The women in this scene are probably performing a variation of the Crane Dance, one of the most widespread of the traditional Ainu…