Native Cultures

Native cultures in Japan have faced numerous challenges over the centuries as a result of Japanese policy that forced annexation and assimilation within mainland Japanese culture while simultaneously subjecting them to discrimination. While the staff on the Velvet Room do not claim to be experts on this subject of natives or racism within Japan, we believe that it's important to acknowledge these cultures and the challenges those of their ancestry face in a series like Persona, which tackles many complicated and difficult social issues that people living in contemporary Japanese society face.

Okinawans

The Okinawans are a distinct ethnic group and culture from the people of Mainland Japan, hailing from the island archipelago chain south of Japan and stretching nearly to Taiwan. The Ryukyu Kingdom became prosperous due to its trade relationship with Imperial China. Near the beginning of the 17th century, it was invaded by the Shimazu clan from Mainland Japan and forced into a relationship of vassal state by the Japanese Imperial Government.

Okinawa was unilaterally annexed, changing from the Ryukyu Kingdom into the Okinawa Prefecture during the late Meiji Restoration. The loss of autonomy causes immense resentment for them to this day.

World War II and the post-WWII era only caused further resentment against the Japanese government that had annexed their culture. The militarization during that era treated Okinawan conscripts as more expendable, whereas the bloody battle of Okinawa did untold harm to the people there and their cultural sites.

Furthermore, after the war, they were forced to bear the burden of United States military bases for decades. The troops stationed in Okinawa have created numerous scandals from crimes of sexual assault and rape committed throughout the years, leading to protest movements by the Okinawans that often make them feel disenfranchised and unheard by the Japanese mainland government.

Shisa, also spelled shiisaa, are emblematic of Ryukyu culture as protective symbols that arose during their era of trade with China.

Ainu

The Ainu are another distinct ethnic group of natives, often associated with Hokkaido. However, in truth, they stretched further into southern Sakhalin, off the southeastern coast of Russia, and the Kurils, an island chain stretching from Hokkaido to the tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The Ainu were a hunter-gatherer culture, heavily involved with nature with elaborate rituals tied up in the idea of Kamuy, or spirits, in all things, even the animals they killed for food.

Much of the Ainu culture has been lost due to the introduction of diseases that ravaged the population, forced assimilation by the Japanese government that led to the theft of Ainu lands to give them to Japanese settlers, and other oppressive policies.

Experts say the Ainu were legislated out of existence by the Japanese government during the Meiji Restoration. Ainu were not allowed equal rights under Japanese law until after World War II came to an end, but with those rights came the idea that they were simply part of the mono-ethnic umbrella of being 'Japanese' while still facing all the prejudice and discrimination for being 'less' than other Japanese citizens.

While some small progress has been made in modern day, the damage has long been done. To this day, only a very small number are even able to speak the Ainu's native language.