Theme 1: Hokkaido's Tale of 1.2 Million Years

• Prologue

  Meeting of
  the North
  and South

• Theme 1

  Hokkaido's
  Tale of 1.2
  Million Years

• Theme 2

  The Culture
  and Recent
  History of
  the Ainu

• Theme 3

  The Secret of
  Hokkaido's
  Unique
  Identity

• Theme 4

  Towards
  Our Time

• Theme 5

  The
  Ecosystems
  of Hokkaido

It is sometimes said that the history of Hokkaido is brief. Certainly, it has only been 150 years since settlement and development first brought a large population to Hokkaido. However, looking further into the past, we will find that unlike the simple picture painted in many Japanese history textbooks, this land is built upon layers of unique history. One such example is the provision of Ainu-supplied seat otter pelts to the Tokugawa shogunate. Let us leaf through the long, long tale of Hokkaido’s 1.2 million years of history.

1-1: On to the Age of Humanity

Explanation board (PDF)

1-2: Emergence of Hokkaido’s Original Cultures

Explanation board (PDF)

1-3: The Age of Ezochi

Explanation board (PDF)

1-4: From Ezochi to Hokkaido

Explanation board (PDF)