CIKARPE AKAN｜AINU CRAFTS

Brand

Traditional Crafts Born from Nature and Passed Down from Generation to Generation

Akan Ainu Consuln

• 2019
• Ainu Crafts
• Hiroshi Hirono

History

Aiming to pass on traditional Ainu culture

We, The Akan Ainu Consuln, were established in 2019 for the purpose of properly promoting Ainu culture as an intellectual property.

This was triggered by the Law on the Promotion of Measures to Realize a Society in which the Pride of the Ainu People is Respected (commonly known as the New Ainu Law), which was passed in the same year.

We believed that this law would bring more attention to Ainu culture, and as an organization that oversees projects for cultural transmission, we are involved in activities that include design supervision, consulting, production, and management of certification.

We approached the people of Lake Akan Ainu Kotan, the largest Ainu settlement in Hokkaido, for help in establishing this organization.

We also serve as a coordinator between organizations such as the Akan Ainu Association, the Akan Ainu Craft Cooperative, the Akan Ainu Folk Culture Preservation Society, and the Lake Akan Kotan Coordinating Committee.

We will continue to work to ensure that the Ainu people maintain their ethnic pride and continue to live while passing on their traditional culture.

Characteristic

Inheriting a reverence for nature

Lake Akan Onsen, home to about 120 Ainu people, is home to the Lake Akan Ainu Kotan, a recreation of an Ainu dwelling, as well as stores selling traditional Ainu folk crafts, restaurants, and more.

The Ainu people grew up learning woodworking from a young age for men and embroidery and weaving for women.

The Ainu designs on these folk crafts are said to have the meaning of "ward off evil spirits" and "good luck charms."

The motifs of animals, plants, and other natural elements are filled with reverence for nature and have been carefully passed down from generation to generation.

The designs on kimonos and everyday utensils are simple yet intricate.

The artistic beauty of the Ainu art has attracted attention overseas, and Akan Ainu Kotan has produced a number of craftspeople who are active in the world.

Aiming for even greater heights, we are challenging ourselves to create new expressions.

We hope that through the brand "CIKARPE AKAN" created with the people of Akanko Ainu Kotan, more and more people will come into contact with Ainu culture.

For Customers

Rustic and modern Ainu culture in daily life

We produce products using designs by the people of Akanko Ainu Kotan.

We have collaborated with traditional Japanese crafts such as Arita-yaki porcelain from Saga Prefecture and Echizen Washi paper from Fukui Prefecture, as well as fashion items such as T-shirts and caps.

We hope you will enjoy the mysterious charm of Ainu patterns, which harmonize with objects from various eras.

We recommend these items as gifts for lovers of traditional Japanese culture and fashion-conscious people.

Bring simple and modern Ainu culture into your daily life.

Please enjoy the great traditional culture that has been nurtured and passed down in the great nature of the north in the style of your choice.