"Shamani Ainu"

Ainu Peopleアイヌ民族について

The Ainu are the indigenous people of northern Japan.

アイヌは、日本列島北部の先住民族です。

Their culture is rooted in a spiritual reverence for the natural world and what has historically been a hunter-gatherer lifestyle, as well as extensive contact with surrounding cultures.
The Ainu have unique customs, language, and beliefs.

アイヌ文化は、自然界への敬意や狩猟採集の暮らし、さらに周辺の諸文化との幅広い接触に根ざしており、独自の慣習・言語・信仰を有しています。

From the end of the Jomon period (500 BCE) on, Hokkaido’s culture developed separately from the rest of the Japanese archipelago. Rice cultivation was adopted on the islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu to the south, but the hunter-gatherer lifestyle continued in Hokkaido.

縄文時代の終わり（紀元前500年頃）以降、北海道の文化は、日本列島の他の地域とは別な形で発展していきました。南の本州・四国・九州では稲作が行われるようになっていきましたが、北海道では狩猟採集の暮らしが続きました。

Ainu culture likely developed from this post-Jomon culture through trade and contact with northern communities around the Sea of Okhotsk, and communities on Honshu.

アイヌ文化は、この続縄文文化から、オホーツク海周辺の北方社会および本州との交易・接触を通して発展していったと考えられています。

This English-language text was created by the Japan Tourism Agency.

この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。

Shamani Ainu様似アイヌ

In the past, "Samani" was pronounced "Shamani". In the Edo period, this was transcribed in several ways, including "シヤマニ" in katakana characters and "射魔尼" or "砂馬荷" in kanji characters.

「様似」は、かつて「シャマニ」と発音されていました。江戸時代はカタカナで「シヤマニ」、漢字で「射魔尼」「砂馬荷」などと記されていました。

It is thought that "様似", the current kanji placename for "Samani", was standardized either in or after the Meiji period. However, "Samani" does not derive from the original name "Shamani"; rather, it is the same word pronounced in two different ways.

「様似」で統一したのは、明治時代以降と言われています。しかし、「シャマニ」は「サマニ」の語源ではなく、同じ言葉を2通りに発音したもの。

In the Ainu language, there is no distinction between the syllables "s" and "sh", which were perceived as the same sound. It seems that in the past many people pronounced "s" as "sh", which is why "sh" sounds can be seen in many Ainu language-derived placenames.

アイヌ語ではサ行音とシャ行音の区別がなく、同じ音として認識されていました。古い時代は「s」をシャ行音で発音する人が多かったようで、昔から使われているアイヌ語地名ではシャ行音がよく見られます。

While the name "Samani" is derived from the Ainu language, there are several theories about its origin. Some of these are preserved through Ainu folklore, such as the theory that the Samani River, which had been called "Tomiesanpet" (River Where Treasure Flows) became known as the "Samunni" (Fallen Tree)" River when the local Ainu people came into contact with Wajin (Mainland Japanese).

「様似」の地名はアイヌ語が語源ですが、由来は諸説あります。本来、「トミエサンペッ（宝がそこに流れる川）」と呼ばれた様似川が、和人との接触の中で「サムンニ（倒れ木）」と呼ばれるようになるなど、アイヌの伝承もいくつか残されています。

You can immerse your mind in history by tracing the Ainu culture of Samani Town, and their contact and interactions with Wajin, through the various historic sites in this region.

様似町のアイヌ文化、和人との接点・交流を、この地のいろいろな史跡から辿り、歴史に思いをはせてみるのはいかがでしょうか。

History and Culture歴史と文化

Hokkaido was not originally a unified island, but was split into Eastern and Western parts.

もともと北海道は一つではなく、東と西の陸地に分かれていました。

Long ago, the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, which encompassed Hokkaido, collided against each other. When the North American plate overlapped the Eurasian plate, the Hidaka Mountain range, which is called the backbone of Hokkaido, was formed. As a result, a section of the mantle (peridotite), which had previously been deep underground, was thrust to the surface, creating Mount Apoi and the surrounding mountains. This land formation is a rare case worldwide, which is why the area has been designated as a Global Geopark by UNESCO.

その昔、北海道を取り巻いていた北米プレートとユーラシアプレートがぶつかり合い、北米プレートがユーラシアプレートに乗り上げてできたのが、北海道の背骨といわれる日高山脈です。この結果、地下の深い部分にあったマントル（かんらん岩）の一部が突き上げられて地表に現れ、アポイ岳やその周辺の山々を形づくったのです。これは世界的にも希少な例で、UNESCOの世界ジオパークに認定された理由でもあります。

The coastal area contains a series of unique views, known for its shaped rocks, including O-iwa (Great Rock) near Shiogama Tunnel, which was once the gateway to the entrance of Samani Town; Rosoku-iwa (Candle Rock), which is connected to a legend of a giant god, Aynurakkur; as well as Oyako-iwa (Parent and Child Rocks), and Sobira-iwa (Sobira Rock). These rocks were formed by porphyrite, where magma flows into cracks in the geological layers created by movement in the earth's crust.

海岸エリアには、様似町の入り口にあり昔の関門だった塩釜トンネルの大岩、巨大な神さまであるアイヌラックルの伝説が残るローソク岩、ほかにも親子岩、ソビラ岩など、奇岩で知られる独特の景観が続いています。これは、地殻変動によって生まれた地層の割れ目に、マグマが入り込むことでできた「ひん岩」がつくりだしたものです。

If we turn our focus to human settlement, it is thought that people first came to live in Samani around the middle and latter stages of the Early Jomon period (approximately 8,000 to 5,000 years ago). Evidence of this can be found in historical sites within the town.
There are differences among the respective Ainu cultures within Hokkaido, with different customs and languages existing even between the East and West parts of the Hidaka region.

人々の暮らしに目を向けると、様似に人が暮らし始めたのは縄文時代早期中葉から後葉（約8,000～5,000年前）といわれており、町内にある遺跡からその様子が見て取れます。
アイヌ文化は北海道内でもそれぞれに違いがあり、日高の東西でも風習や言葉が違います。

The Samani Ainu language is similar to the dialects of East Hokkaido, such as Tokachi and Kushiro, and is observably different to the Ainu language of the West Hidaka region, such as Biratori and Monbetsu.

様似アイヌの言葉は十勝や釧路など道東の方言に似ており、平取や門別などの日高西部のアイヌ語とは異なることがわかっています。

The Samani Ainu and their Interactions with Wajin様似アイヌと和人の交流

It is thought that Ainu people began to live in Samani around the middle and latter stages of the Early Jomon period (approximately 8,000 to 5,000 years ago).

様似にアイヌ民族が暮らし始めたのは、縄文時代早期中葉から後葉（約8,000～5,000年前）と言われています。

On the other hand, Wajin (Mainland Japanese) first came to Samani in 1635, the early Edo period. This was said to have occurred when gold mining operations began at the upper reaches of the Poronai River, a tributary of the present-day Unbe River.

一方、和人が様似に入ってきたのは江戸時代初めの1635（寛永12）年。現在の海辺川支流のポロナイ川上流で、金の採掘が始まったあたりだと言われています。

The gold mine attracted large numbers of miners, and the Kirishitanai district near the mouth of the Unbe River became a thriving area as a result. However, in 1669, the mine closed down due to the Battle of Shakushain.

鉱山に多くの採掘人が入ったことで海辺川河口付近のキリシタナイ地区は大いに栄えましたが、1669（寛文9）年、シャクシャインの戦いにより鉱山は閉山してしまいます。

During the second half of the Edo period when the shipping trade flourished, Samani gradually developed as a base for marine traffic in the Eastern Ezo area. Following the establishment of Shamani Kaisho (Shogunate Trade Office), which combined the functions of a trading post and a traveler's inn, a town formed with the Kaisho at its center, and trade with the Ainu people took place. Around this time, the distribution of goods by ship became full-scale.

江戸時代後半に入ると海運が盛んになり、東蝦夷地エリアの海上交通の拠点として様似は発展していきます。交易・旅籠屋の機能を兼ねたシャマニ会所が設置されたあとは、そこを中心に市街が形成され、アイヌ民族との交易が行われました。この頃から船による商品物流が本格化。

Products from Samani Kaisho such as kombu (kelp), funori (marine glue), dried cod, and fish oil were transported across Japan by Kitamae ships.

シャマニ会所の産物である昆布やふのり、干しタラ、魚油なども北前船によって全国へ運ばれました。

As the number of Wajin settlements increased throughout Eastern Ezo, the Edo Shogunate established several temples. One of these was Tojuin Temple, where it is thought that cultural contact with Ainu people took place.

東蝦夷の各地に和人の集落が増えたことにより、江戸幕府は寺院を設立。その一つが、「等澍院」で、ここでアイヌの人々との文化的接触があったと考えられています。

In the Meiji period, after the Kaisho system was abolished, the local merchant Yamoto Kuragoro carried out trade with Ainu people, as recorded in the "Yamoto Family Documents" held in the collection of SAMANI Folk Museum.

明治時代に入り会所廃止後は、地元の商人・矢本蔵五郎がアイヌ民族との交易を行ったと、様似郷土館所蔵の「矢本家文書」にのこされています。