Shigeru Kayano
Encyclopedia
was one of the last native speakers of the Ainu language
and a leading figure in the Ainu
ethnic movement in Japan
.
village in Biratori
, Hokkaidō
, Japan
. His family name at birth was Kaizawa, but he was adopted out by name to his Aunt's family. He was raised in poverty by his alcoholic father and devout Buddhist mother, and gained his first appreciation of Ainu culture from his grandmother, Tekatte, who would share traditional stories in Ainu with him.
, an expert in its folk arts and language. He led the effort to found 15 Ainu language schools.
. He served five terms in the assembly before taking over a vacated seat in the upper house for the SDP
. There he served from 1994 to 1998. In the Diet, he often posed questions in the Ainu language. His effort led to the enactment of a law to promote Ainu culture in 1997.
Shigeru Kayano was also known for leading the protest movement against the Nibutani Dam
. The dam over the Saru River
, completed in 1997 despite legal attempts to stop it, flooded land sacred to the Ainu. Though unsuccessful, the legal effort did result in a ruling by the Sapporo District Court, acknowledging the Ainu as the indigenous people of Hokkaidō for the first time. He also succeeded in abolition of The Protective Act for the Ainus in Hokkaido (北海道旧土人保護法) and enacting the Act for the Promotion of Ainu Culture & Dissemination of Knowledge Regarding Ainu Traditions (アイヌ文化の振興並びにアイヌの伝統等に関する知識の普及及び啓発に関する法律) in 1997.
He died of pneumonia at a hospital in Sapporo, Hokkaidō on May 6, 2006, just over a month short of his 80th birthday.
collections. Some of his works were translated into English:
Ainu language
Ainu is one of the Ainu languages, spoken by members of the Ainu ethnic group on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō....
and a leading figure in the Ainu
Ainu people
The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...
ethnic movement in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Early life
Kayano Shigeru was born in NibutaniNibutani
The Nibutani , Niputay in Ainu, district is part of the town of Biratori in Hokkaidō, Japan, a particularly large proportion of the population of which is of the indigenous Ainu ethnicity. It is the site of the Nibutani Dam, and the hometown of Shigeru Kayano. Nibutani is also the site of two Ainu...
village in Biratori
Biratori, Hokkaido
is a town located in Saru District, Hidaka, Hokkaidō, Japan.As of 2008, the town has an estimated population of 5,909 and a density of 7.95 persons per km². The total area is 743.16 km²....
, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. His family name at birth was Kaizawa, but he was adopted out by name to his Aunt's family. He was raised in poverty by his alcoholic father and devout Buddhist mother, and gained his first appreciation of Ainu culture from his grandmother, Tekatte, who would share traditional stories in Ainu with him.
Cultural leader
Though he did not reach a high level of formal education, he undertook an impassioned study of Ainu folklore, art, language and history. His activism helped bring about the founding of the Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum in 1972. He was an acknowledged living master of the Ainu oral traditionOral tradition
Oral tradition and oral lore is cultural material and traditions transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages or testimony are verbally transmitted in speech or song and may take the form, for example, of folktales, sayings, ballads, songs, or chants...
, an expert in its folk arts and language. He led the effort to found 15 Ainu language schools.
Political leader
He was the first Ainu politician to sit in the Japanese DietDiet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
. He served five terms in the assembly before taking over a vacated seat in the upper house for the SDP
Social Democratic Party (Japan)
The Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party The Social Democratic Party (社会民主党 Shakai Minshu-tō, often abbreviated to 社民党 Shamin-tō; also known as the Social Democratic Party of Japan (abbreviated to SDPJ or SDP in English) is a political party that advocates for the establishment of a...
. There he served from 1994 to 1998. In the Diet, he often posed questions in the Ainu language. His effort led to the enactment of a law to promote Ainu culture in 1997.
Shigeru Kayano was also known for leading the protest movement against the Nibutani Dam
Nibutani Dam
is a dam on the Saru River in Hokkaidō, Japan, which stands at Nibutani in Biratori town, Saru District. Work on the dam began in 1990. It was completed in March 1997, despite objections from the local Ainu people.-Controversy:...
. The dam over the Saru River
Saru River
Saru River is a river in Hokkaidō, Japan.The Saru River rises in the Hidaka Mountains and empties into the Pacific. The Nibutani Dam is situated on the Saru River, at Nibutani village. The construction of this dam was the subject of famous domestic litigation, producing the first ever Japanese...
, completed in 1997 despite legal attempts to stop it, flooded land sacred to the Ainu. Though unsuccessful, the legal effort did result in a ruling by the Sapporo District Court, acknowledging the Ainu as the indigenous people of Hokkaidō for the first time. He also succeeded in abolition of The Protective Act for the Ainus in Hokkaido (北海道旧土人保護法) and enacting the Act for the Promotion of Ainu Culture & Dissemination of Knowledge Regarding Ainu Traditions (アイヌ文化の振興並びにアイヌの伝統等に関する知識の普及及び啓発に関する法律) in 1997.
He died of pneumonia at a hospital in Sapporo, Hokkaidō on May 6, 2006, just over a month short of his 80th birthday.
Author
He has written about 100 books about the Ainu language and culture, including 28 yukarYukar
are Ainu sagas that form a long rich tradition of oral literature. In older periods the epics were performed by both men and women; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, when Ainu culture was in decline, women were generally the most skillful performers....
collections. Some of his works were translated into English:
- Our Land was a Forest: an Ainu Memoir - 1994
- The Romance of the Bear God - 1985
Sources
- Obituary in Asahi Shinbun-International Herald Tribune May 5, 2006
- Act for the Promotion of Ainu Culture & Dissemination of Knowledge Regarding Ainu Traditions (Hitchingham trans.)
- Kayano et al. v. Hokkaido Expropriation Committee: ‘The Nibutani Dam Decision’ (Levin trans.) (1999). International Legal Materials, Vol. 38, p. 394, 1999.