Investigating of malti-layered landscapes of Ezo-a historical geographical study into the way of thinking of landscapes of Ainu and Wajin-

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K13272
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 04020:Human geography-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto Prefectural University (2022-2023); Kyoto University (2020-2021)
• Principal Investigator: ABE Mika 京都府立大学, 文学部, 特別研究員(RPD) (80806860)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 蝦夷地 / 北海道 / アイヌ民族 / 和人 / 東西蝦夷山川地理取調圖 / 江戸末期 / 風景観 / 地名

Outline of Final Research Achievements

1. I selected 182 place names with positive meanings from all 9,366 place names recorded in the Ezo section of the "East and West Ezo Mountains and Rivers Geographical Survey Map" and created a distribution map. As a result, we found that there were places that the Ainu people considered special, even in places far from roads that the Japanese knew and used, and trade-related places such as customs houses.
2. I analyzed the Japanese people's recognition of places in Ezo from the Ezo guidebook, and found that the indicators that the Japanese used to evaluate places in Ezo included 1. focusing on the presence or absence of products, 2. praising the scenery and views of the place and focusing on prosperous areas, and 3. a perspective on passage.
3. I conducted a field survey in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido and were able to hear from Ainu people about the scenery created by their activities.

Free Research Field

歴史地理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

まず第一に、本研究の学術的意義の一つ目は、アイヌ民族の風景観という視点でアイヌ民族と江戸末期の蝦夷地の関係を読み解き、さらに和人との関係性を考察する作業から、歴史地理学と歴史学、文化人類学、民俗学等を架橋しうることにある。学術的意義の二つ目は、具体的なアイヌ語地名とその地名の存在する場所を、アイヌの人々による評価という視座から考えることで、これまで提示されてきたアイヌの人々の自然観等に加え、風景への見方という新たな価値観を検討する素地を与えられることである。また、アイヌの人々の風景への価値観を社会に示すことは、アイヌ民族への理解を社会の中で深める助けとなり、大きな社会的意義を有する。