I know nothing about Ainu music. Until I listened to this album I did not know what a tonkori was. Naturally I had to do a little research to determine if I even had valid observations to make about this music in the first place. The outside influences stood out to me pretty quickly. There's a bit of dub, blues, and afrobeat influence all over. I really enjoy when traditional folk music blends with modern styles so that was extremely up my alley. But most importantly I think everyone ought to just expand their musical scope by listening to some Ainu music and this stuff was really enjoyable.
This quietly observed drama follows a teenager living in a community of Ainu people in Hokkaido, Japan struggling to preserve their culture.
By Natalia Winkelman
Nov. 17, 2020
The gently observed drama “Ainu Mosir” unfolds in Hokkaido, a northern island of Japan, where a community of Ainu people live and work in a small town. By day, the residents welcome boatfuls of tourists to explore their village, survey their traditions and purchase souvenirs. Behind the image it sells to visitors, the community struggles to preserve authentic Ainu culture.
The film, streaming on Netflix, follows the teenager Kanto (Kanto Shimokura) as he grapples with the loss of his father and an emerging crisis of identity. He lives with his mother, who runs a local shop, but when considering high schools, Kanto expresses his wish to look outside the Ainu community, which he finds constraining. He appears freest when making music with his garage band, coming up with original song lyrics or belting “Johnny B. Goode” alongside his friends.
Noticing Kanto’s distress, the community leader Debo (Debo Akibe) begins to mentor the teen in Ainu beliefs, including the culture’s close relationship to nature. He introduces Kanto to a bear cub and invites him to care for the animal, though Debo fails to disclose that the bear must soon be sacrificed as part of a resurrected Ainu ritual.
“Ainu Mosir” struggles with perspective; the story seems torn between Kanto’s coming-of-age and the stresses facing his community, making the camera’s view of each more distant than intimate. Still, as the seasons change and the village nears the day of the ceremony, the writer-director Takeshi Fukunaga demonstrates an admirable control of mood. Rather than relying on dialogue, Fukunaga allows emotion to shine through musical performances — a school anthem, folk songs, drunken karaoke. These scenes speak for themselves, and they build upon the story with quiet power.
Not rated. In Japanese and Ainu, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 24 minutes. Watch on Netflix.
I was able to watch this movie with my hapo the other day, and we loved it. There were so many faces, places, and art I recognized, and these people aren’t actors, they’re Akan locals. I was really surprised to see Debo san, not just appear in it but star in it. Right on, utari! I was not surprised to see Oki, but just as pleased/
I think what Ms Winkelman misses when she opines that the focus is too scattered between Kanto and his community is that they are inseparable. Kanto’s struggle is Akan Kotan’s struggle. Wanting to be seen, but not oggled. How to move in spaces taken from them. How to use Ainu space while still having to worry about what colonizers think, and how that effects our relationships with kamuy. Kanto and his tribe beat with the same heart, and what happens to one happens to the other.
Anyway, it’s a great film, and it’s available on Netflix in the US only at the moment.
From the frozen land of Japan's Hokkaido island, Oki brings a surprisingly languid, south seas-filtered rhythm to the music of Kíla. For their part, Kíla bring their particular blend of contemporary Irish language rap-infused social commentary, paired with layered arrangements and an undoubted world music sensibility. The two coalesce rather than collide in this, their debut collaboration, where the Japanese-accented subtlety of Oki's "Ainu" music serves to colour and shade with a typically oriental finesse. In some ways, Oki is the ideal counterpoint to Kíla's characteristically primary colours: his scene-setting opener of Topattumi instantly lowers the pulse, and Ororo Raha (Mokoro Mokoro) revels in the stripping bare of the melody lines...
You don’t have to wait for the Japan Olympics to (maybe) see some Ainu performances. Here are some incredible Ainu artists performing right now.
Oki Dub Ainu Band
Fronted by Oki Kano (son of contemporary Ainu artist, Bikky Sunazawa). One of the only masters of tonkori, a stringed instrument from the Sakhalin tribes.
Where you can find them:
Chikar Studio
Facebook
Instagram
Youtube
Marewrew
Rekpo, Hisae, Mayunkiki, and RimRim form the female singing group Marewrew, which means Butterfly in Ainu itak. They sing in the traditional style of upopo, and perform with Oki Dub Ainu Band.
Where you can find them:
Chikar Studio
Facebook
Instagram
Mina Sakai/IMERUAT
Formerly part of Ainu Rebels, and the Ainu Art Project, Mina Sakai might be best known for her contributions to the music of Final Fantasy XIII. She’s performing now as Imeruat, which means lightning in Ainu itak.
Where you can find them:
Imeruat
Facebook
Instagram
Youtube
Soundcloud
