(5) From the Playground of the Gods The Life and Art of Bikky Sunazawa

From the Playground of the Gods The Life 8c Art of Bikky Sunozawa NB 1059 .S97. D84 2004.





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From the Playground of the Gods The Life and Art of Bikky Sunazawa. by Chisato O. Dubreuil.



From the Playground of the Gods The Life and Art of Bikky Sunazawa. by Chisato O. Dubreuil. with. a Foreword by William W, Fitzhugh. Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. Arctic Studies Center, National. Distributed by University of Hawai'i Press.

;. Copyright. ®. 2004 Arctic Studies Center, National. Museum. of Natural History,. Smithsonian Institution.. All rights reserved.. No. portion ol this publication. may. be reproduced or transmitted in any form. or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing horn the publisher.. From. tlie. Playground of. tlie. was printed by The Castle. Gods: die Life. and Art. of. Bikky Siinazawa. Press, Pasadena, Calilornia. U.S.A.. Designed by Betty Adair, The Castle Press Edited by Kathy Tally-Jones, Perpetua Press, Santa Barbara, California. The paper. in this. book meets the guidelines. for. permanence and durability of the Committee on. Production (iuidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data. Dubreuil, Chisato O.. From p.. Gods the Life and Art W. Fitzhugh.. the Playground of the. with a foreword by William. :. of Bikky. Sunazawa. /. by Chisato O. Dubreuil. cm.. Includes bibliographical references.. ISBN 0-9673429-8-8 1.. (alk.. paper). Sunazawa, Bikky, 1931-1989.. Studies Center (National. 2.. Museum. Sculptors—Japan— Biography.. of Natural History). 3.. Ainu— Flistory.. I.Arctic. II Title.. NB1059.S97D84 2004 730\92-dc22 2004017834. Editor's. Note. Spelling. Readers. may. note inconsistency in the presentation of some Ainu terms, personal names, and. geographic place-names. This Kuriles,. and Sakhalin. Ainu was. a. terms, and. spoken and not. names. is. because Ainu language has three geographic dialects. —and many. as best. as originally recorded.. dialects. with marked variation. in. —from Hokkaido,. a written language, early field workers, lacking dictionaries, transcribed. they could.. Many. spellings have. the. terminology and pronunciation. Because. Ainu. been systematized, but in some cases terms remain.

Tins book. is. dedicated. to the. memory. MoTOKO Ikeda-Spiegel.



Contents. Author's Note. ix. Foreword. xi. Introduction. xix. Sidebar. Chapter. i:. 1:. Who Are. Chapter. 3:. The Night. 1. The Ainu Homeland. Sidebar 3: Ainu 2:. xix. Bikkys Early Life and Influences (1931-1953) Sidebar 2:. Chapter. the Ainu?. Wood. 1. Carving. 3. Train to Tokyo: Bikkys Art Evolves (1953-1964). 15. Sidebar 5: Ainu Fabric Art. 23. The Back of the Mask:. Sidebar 6: Ainu Art and Sidebar 7: 4:. Totem. The Bear. Poles. and. Bikky Returns. Chapter. 5:. 15. Sidebar 4: Origins of Ainu Tourist Art. Art and Activism in Sapporo (1964-1978). Chapter. .. to. in. 31. The Japanese Art Establishment. Ainu Tourist Art. 31. 37. Tall Trees:. 49. His Roots (1978-1983). Transforming Visions:. Bikky and the Northwest Coast of Canada (1983). 61. Sidebar 8: Bikky s Tools. 61. 77. Chapter. 6:. The Northern. Chapter. 7:. Bikky's Legacy. King: Final Years (1984-1989). 109. Bibliography. 119. Figure List. 128. ^APR. 2 5 2005.



Author's Note. On November. 29, 1987, two Japanese amateur astronomers from. Hokkaido, K. Endate and K. Watanabe, members of the International Astronomical Union, discovered a small planet.' After the required rigorous. independent examination, they registered. it. with the Minor Planet Center. Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory on September registry it is. number 5372. They. also. named. the planet.. 1,. at. the. 1993, and received. When named. after a person,. customary to use only the family name. The discoverers broke with tradition. and gave the planet the honor of carrying only the given name of an extremely gifted. 1.. contemporary Ainu. artist.. That. artist. was Bikky.. Marsdcn, 1993. ix.



Foreword William W. Fitzhugh Arctic Studies Center. Smithsonian Institution. In 1988 the National. Museum. of Natural History opened a special exhibi-. tion featuring the traditional cultures of the. Island to. Amur. North. Pacific region. and Alaska^ explored similarities. and. differences in history, culture,. native groups living around the northern rim of the Pacific. and Chukchi. from Vancouver. River and Sakhalin. Crossroads of Continents: Cultures of Siberia. Seas.. Of these. and. art. of. and adjacent Bering. northern cultures, the Ainu, whose. name means. "people" or "humans" in their language, could not be represented for political and organizational reasons.. The Ainu formerly. Sakhalin, and part of northern. Hokkaido remains. the only. inhabited the Kurile Islands, southern. Honshu; today the northern Japanese. island of. homeland of the Ainu people, most of whom. live in. small villages scattered in different areas of Hokkaido. Because Crossroads was con-. ducted under a its. bilateral. arrangement with the Soviet Union, which did not want. political history involving the seizure. of the Kuriles and southern Sakhalin and. expulsion of Ainu peoples aired broadly to the public. Crossroads proceeded with a. conspicuous gap in our roster of North Pacific peoples. In 1990, while Crossroads was tion about the interest in the. Ainu. still. to rectify this slight."'. touring,. I. began preparing an exhibi-. Europeans have had. a. long history of. Ainu, beginning with Dutch and Jesuit contacts in the Dejima. (Nagaskai) trade entrepot in the seventeenth century and continuing with the early nineteenth-century. work of Europe's premier (and. first). Japanologist, Philipp. von Siebold, whose multi-volume opus, Nippon, brought knowledge of Japan the western world for the. first. time. After. Commodore Matthew. to. Perry lorced the. xi.

Japanese to. lift. their exclusionary. ban on foreign. 1854, Europeans and Americans began to official reasons.. that the. They. travel. within their archipelago in. Hokkaido, both. visit. as tourists. and. for. discovered a culture in drastic decline and were convinced. Ainu would not survive more than. by the Japanese, whose. official policies. a. few decades. This view was. also held. were directed to hasten assimilation. The. views of these visitors reflected their awareness, and sometimes their direct experience, of hidian cultures. of the American West, which were also thought to be. Among. on the verge of extinction. Englishwoman,. who. Isabella Bird,. Others came during the 1870s. which had pledged technical. opment. the early visitors to the. wrote a book about her 1878 experiences. of the United States government,. as representatives. assistance to the. new. Meiji government for the devel-. of Hokkaido's natural resources.. Reports by these travelers and. ceremonial scholars. life,. officials. of the Ainu's striking dress, elaborate. and unusual physical appearance sparked the. and museum. stature, deep-set eyes,. The long. directors.. and. facial features. made Ainu appear. Museum. (which most foreigners thought resembled. 1. ". so even than the. of the large natural history. decades before 1900. in the. interest in the. romantic European notion of the Ainu. more. worn by women, it is. 868 Albert Bickmore, President of the. of the Ainu, and. became the major focus of public. savage,". lip tattoos. of Natural History, was in the habit of commenting on the. bearded "Aryan appearance. earlier. of American. very different from other Asian populations. Although. unclear where the idea originated, by. American. interest. flowing beards, hirsute bodies, large. Caucasoids more than Mongoloids), and the striking. idea. Ainu was the intrepid. this. Ainu, in tandem with the. as a representative. of the "noble. American Indian. For the next four decades, most. museums. in Eastern. North America, including the. Smithsonian Institution, sent collectors to Hokkaido to gather Ainu objects, study its. culture and population, and. people.. make photographic. The "Ainu enigma" became. a. popular scholarly puzzle that tantalized nine-. museum collectors, and of human "races.". teenth century explorers, origin. and spread. records of this "peculiar". anthropologists researching the. Unfortunately, this overly-romantic and simplistic view of the Ainu has persisted into the. modern. History in the early 1990s. era. Visitors to the. who were. Ainu mostly misidentified Ainu were. extinct.. as. Most who recognize. National. Museum. of Natural. interviewed about their knowledge of the. American Indians or Eskimos, or thought they the. word "Ainu" know. it. only. as a four-letter.

answer. The. to the. popular crossword puzzle clue, "a northern native people of Japan.". causes of ignorance are many: a lack of English-language literature, absence. of museum presentations and exhibitions, paucity of Ainu scholars outside Japan,. and infrequent European and American was therefore. It. visitation to. clear that the exhibition, eventually titled. among. Northern People, needed to broaden understanding history, culture,. Hokkaido.. and contemporary. Westerners about Ainu. Over the following two. life.. museum. of Japanese, European, and American scholars and. Ainu: Spirit of a. years,. I. and. team. a. curators inspected the. nineteenth and early twentieth century collections in Washington, Philadelphia,. New York, and Brooklyn, and held seminars and workshops with Ainu experts. Befitting my own background as an archaeologist, was intrigued by the advances I. archaeological research field,. some of the. had made. in researching the Ainu's cultural origins. In this. earliest scientific. shellmound excavations conducted. Omori, Edward Morse. by Heinrich von Siebold. in. Hitchcock. and Hokkaido provided. in the Kuriles. ological studies. today there. is. Jomon. culture of Japan.. nearly complete agreement that. Tokyo. Bay,. Ainu. ties. With. between recent. origins. lie. Romyn. and. a foundation for. by Japanese archaeologists suggesting. people and the prehistoric. culture. in. 1870s. in the. modern. archae-. Ainu. living. DNA evidence, Jomon. with the. which occupied much of the Japanese archipelago throughout the. Holocene and persisted. in an evolved. form. in. Hokkaido. until ca.. A.D. 500.. On. Honshu, Jomon culture was replaced by the forerunners of the modern Japanese state. about 2,000 years ago, while. Satsumon. cultures. archaeologists see. Hokkaido. it. was replaced by Okhotsk and. which retained more elements of the Jomon. Satsumon. culture in northern. Okhotsk. in. as the. most. likely. tradition.. Most. immediate ancestor of modern Ainu. Honshu and southern Hokkaido, while Satsumon-influenced. culture, a northern culture,. is. believed to be the source of Sakhalin. and. Kurile Ainu.. However, the team quickly began to see the exhibition needed. to. be more. than an anthropological study ol an ancient people to be represented by old Ainu collections. and. archival materials; rather. we thought. it. was important. to present. the traditional collections within the broader context of Ainu history, archaeology, traditional ethnology,. ancestry. who had. and. art.. Fortunately, Chisato Dubreuil, a. woman. of Ainu. recently completed a master's degree in native art history at. the University of Washington in Seattle, was available. Chisato had a deep interest. in. and joined the. Ainu culture and knew many Ainu. project.. cultural leaders.

and. artists in. Japan. Throtigh Chisato's efforts, the exhibition grew to embrace. the story of the. Ainu. as a. modern. people.. culture enlivened our collection study. The hving. and gave. previously been an esoteric enterprise. Suddenly the archival materials. tradition of. Ainu. art. and. a broader purpose to what had. meaning of the. was transformed from "specimen" into "treasure,. ". objects. and. from nameless. photographic images into someone's grandmother or grandfather, and the show took on a living dimension. The "unknown" North American collections began to reconnect with their. Hokkaido. past.. We. became something more than curators. inquiring into a remote culture and began to see. how. these materials could. contribute to the Ainu cultural rebirth underway in Japan after a long and painful. period of history. In 1868, a political upheaval in Japan. government known of the. new. undeveloped northern. island, a. power. to. a progressive. Modernization was a major goal. as the Meiji Restoration.. administration, and one of. had brought. its first. acts. was. to give Ezo, Japan's large,. new name: Hokkaido. Japanese. citizens. were. encouraged to emigrate to exploit Hokkaido's natural resources. The resulting northern "land-rush" flooded the island with new-comers and brought a. of life to. a. huge. territory that until then, except for the. Matsumae. new way. enclave and few. Japanese fishing stations, had been the sole province of the native Ainu people. Meiji policies brought a harsh three. himdred. new. reality to. Ainu. life. that. had already suffered. years of military defeat, territorial loss, political. and economic. subjugation, and social discrimination at the hands of Russians and Japanese.. Meiji government and most Japanese immigrants saw traditional. life as. Ainu adherence. to their. an obstacle to progress, and policies were instituted to force. rapid Japanese colonization and "civilize" the Ainu. Within a few years most lands, resources,. were codified. restrictive. and native. rights. had been taken away, and. in a native "protection" act. Ainu culture and. whose. in. actual intent. force assimilation into Japanese society.. It. fish.. regular. was to terminate. imposed harsh and. conditions on Ainu existence and cultural expression, and the Ainu were. game. Their religious ceremonies were banned and they could not participate. members of Japanese. The. results. were. not become extinct, at. Ainu. 1899 these actions. forced to attend segregated schools and were refused access to traditional. and. The. as. society.. variable.. Although the Ainu population on Hokkaido did. as expected, neither. did. it. grow. dramatically; today. 25,000, only 10,000 higher than in 1886. During these years. many. it. stands. of those.

born to Ainu abandoned their impoverished. growing. villages. where they attended high schools and. cities. and moved. to the rapidly. universities,. took. and. jobs,. melted into the larger Japanese population. Once outside the Ainu residential. commtmities, couples, including mixed Japanese and Ainu twosomes, often. Ainu backgrounds. disguised their. social discrimination against. and elsewhere. Ainu. so that their children could escape the stigma of. was prevalent among Hokkaido Japanese. that. in Japan.. Those who remained "Ainu" expressed. Some maintained Ainu trappers, secretly. in traditional carving to. life. and weaving. Ainu. to. develop, a. As. new. tourist centers in. new. the. craft industry. sites. began to grow. Some. sources ol income.. wood. platters. and the growing numbers of. and demonstrated Ainu. that advertised. rituals. and dances. Ainu. attractions. and catered. "tourist". tourists. Ainu. hand tourism. codified a. culture as a conscious. form ot. living history. and. for the public in artificial settings disturbed. tain their culture in a. more. and. later. especially to tourists.. established. become an important economic. the one. who. for the public,. Ainu had become an. On. families.. in the. took root, providing seasonal income for Ainu. end of the twentieth century the. some Ainu. Ainu it. new. cities. as. Asahikawa, Akan, Shiraoi, and elsewhere began to. profession and the sales of Ainu crafts had for. home consumption. But. in their villages for those visitors interested in truly rustic adventures,. prepared. By. and customs,. "wild north," whose attractions also included the. carved, sewed garments,. in. religion. harvesting timber; others began to replicate decorative. attracted to Japan's. themselves.. for. develop. or other material culture items for collectors. first. Ainu. with Japanese immigrants and. fill. 800s, economics forced the. found a. to practice. holding periodic bear ceremonies, burying their dead in the Ainu way,. Hokkaido began 1. traditions as subsistence or small-scale farmers, hunters,. and fishermen who continued. and engaging. late. their ethnicity in different ways.. new. activity. definition of. culture,. though re-enacting. many Ainu who. preferred to main-. private manner.. Art in particular allowed twentieth century Ainu to express their beliefs. and ethnicity people, skills. much. way. in a as. it. had. that. produced income and internal cohesion. in earlier periods.. As Ainu. from personal objects to mass produced. ture bear carvings. — new economic and. eventually to the transformation ot. tourist art. artistic. Ainu. art. carvers. for. Ainu. began to transfer. —. their. especially their signa-. opportunities were created that led. from. its. traditional personal. and. reli-. gious forms to commercial and fine arts functions.. XV.

Chisato Dubreuil brought Spirit. of. this story to Hte beautifully. of a Northern People exhibition and catalogue through biographical. Ainu. artists. who. pioneered the "break-out" of Ainu art from. encumbrances, and from. its. commercial shackles. No. the international world of fine arts.. as. America and. relatively little-known outside. opened the exhibition. as a. in the spring of 1999. Bikky, a. charismatic. ctdtural aspirations of later. through. a powerful message of. Ainu people.. Initially. modern Ainu. as a. who. artist interested in. Bikky translated the. his art,. Although qualifying. young. prominent. the recognition he deserved in his. tourist art, into. transformation more. this. was unknown. own. North. nickname meaning. "frog". prominence. in the. rose to. political. and. political action. and. advancing the. through direct. of Ainu culture into. historical legacy. identity unlike any previous artist. in. Hokkaido when the Smithsonian. Ainu, suited the earthy, iconoclastic character. 1970-80s. art. profiles. traditional. its. commercial. one exemplified. completely than Bikky Sunazawa. Bikky Sunazawas. in. within the Ainu:. Ainu. artist.. by any standard, Bikky never achieved. may. country. In part this. premature death and the geographic and cultural insularity of. result. from. his. Hokkaido home-. his. land and Ainu ethnicity, but likely continuing attitudes of regional and ethnic discrimination also contributed. I. was therefore very pleased when Chisato,. after leaving the. wrote an English language book devoted to Bikky s pleased that. we. are able to publish. it. Ikeda-Spiegel Memorial Foundation.. treatment of the. Ainu. fine art.. artist. who became. life. and. art,. Smithsonian,. and even more. through the generous support of the Motoko. Her current work. is. the most comprehensive. the pivot-point in the development of. Chisato Dubreuil has spent. much of the. modern. past eleven years gathering. information on Bikky from his family and friends, from newspaper and magazine articles,. from catalogs of. his art. shows, and from her. museum. curators, artists, art collectors,. character. who. from. interviews of art. and from Bikky's own. richly deserves the "larger than life" epithet,. dramatic, extremely innovative in several areas of. on family. own. relationships.. traditional. Ainu. writings.. Bikky was. art, loyal to his. critics,. A complex. sensitive,. friends but hard. Beginning with the spectacular composite designs derived. textile arts. passed. down from. his mother, each. proved equally innovative and inspirational, each successive. style. ground and revealing new and more profound. "what. Ainu." Like the Haida carver.. Bill. Reid,. insights into. whose work and. life. of his works. breaking it. new. means. to be. inspired Bikky at a.

crucial point in his. and ethnic. development, Bikky translated. traditions into artistic expressions that. His premature death in 1989, occurring. his native beliefs, sensibilities,. embody. at a. time. a strong. Ainu. when he was. vision.. still. exploring his talents, was especially tragic in that he did not live to see the passage in. 1997 of the Ainu Shinpo, an Act of the Japanese Diet that. finally. began the. process of addressing repressive governmental policies ol the past. Despite tremen-. dous obstacles, Ainu people and culture survived the twentieth century, and thanks to the. Ainu Shinpo, they now have. for the first. time the foundation for positive. support for Ainu culture and language. Today Ainu culture recognized for. its. historical tenacity, the. important message. and nature. —. its. religion. beauty of. and philosophy. —. its. art. is. and. beginning to be literature,. spiritual balance. brings to the wider world at a critical. moment. in. and. for the. between humans. human. history.. This recognition goes hand in hand with the recognition of Bikky Sunazawa. one of the most. creative. and important contemporary native. artists. as. within today's. circumpolar peoples.. End Notes 1.. Fitzhugh and Crowell (1988).. 2.. The bulk of the. following text. is. an abridged version of the author's introduction to Ainu: Spirit of a. Northern People, edited by William W. Fitzhugh and Chisato Dubreuil (1999). Those interested information and appropriate textual citations of. this. intormation should see that vokmie.. in kirther.



'. Introduction Bikky looked. like. a bear, drmik. and worked like a. As the opening day the. Kanagawa. for the. Hokkaido, his. Contemporary. Artists' Series '89 in. Prefectural Gallery outside of Tokyo neared,. far to the north,. work and. a fish,. beaver.. Bikky Sunazawa dropped a bombshell. From. ist. like. that he. Ainu. his hospital. art-. bed. in. he insisted that he would personally. was going. install. to attend the exhibition's opening. In. the last stages of terminal cancer, the 57-year-old Bikky, with typical. single-mindedness, refused to listen to anyone to talk. him out of going. Driven by. who. tried. a creative passion. sidebar. i. Who Are the Ainu?. throughout. his. life,. the determined. family and friends to help. make. his. artist. convinced. dream. a reality.. his. Even. The Ainu. are. lapan's indig-. ^. enous people,. Bikky's doctor,. by. moved by. his charisma,. his. determination and attracted. took time off from her other patients to. who. lived in. fishing, hunting,. and gathering. travel. with him to Tokyo and take care of him.. The Kanagawa. Gallery. is. groups. the most important. tribal. for centuries. along the north Rim.'. Pacific. They are one. of. Fig.. A 1.3. Ainu hunter. in. niountain clorlie. Japanese gallery emphasizing. modern. and. sculpture,. its. the most enigmatic ethnic groups. large tures.. open spaces suited Bikky's. He had. large-scale. looked forward to the day. wood. sculp-. when he could. language. work. there.. But more than. that, exhibiting in. the gallery, an important venue lor Japanese rary art, also. A. contempo-. meant acceptance by the Japanese. art. world.. in. the world, and the Ainu. completely unrelated to any. other language group, including japanese.. exhibit his. is. The Ainu were. bulent. life. his tur-. against discrimination by the Japanese against. island. of Hokkaido, southern Sakhalin, through-. out the Kurile islands, on southern. Kamchatka, and the Lower Amur River region.^ While the. complicated man, Bikky fought throughout. traditionally. found mainly on Japan's northern. Ainu. is. small,. number. now down. dozen, there are. at least. of. full. blood. to less than a. seventy thousan. mixed race Ainu throughout japan, with.

^. Who. are the Ainu? continued. more than number in. the. Ainu people and expectations. that. Ainu. artists. capable of creating only traditional or tourist. twenty-five thousand of that Hokl<aido.. did. much. art.. were. Bikky. break through these barriers.. to. Ainu origins have puzzled anthropologists,. archaeologists, linguists,. scholars since the mid-1 800s.. With. and other. The Ainu. the. look distinctively different from Japanese. the help of his assistants, Bikky had spent. months before the exhibition. feverishly. works, often in great pain. Works such. and other Asian people. Since the mid-. completing. as the. Kaze. 1880s scholars have developed theories. (Wind). that the Ainu:. of his struggles: for example,. series give a sense. •. are an isolated Caucasoid people,. on one work, many deep, rough, and sharp. •. originated from the Australoids or the. gouge the upper portion ol the. incisions. piece, carved against the. Polynesians,"' •. grain oi the. should be considered Mongoloid. because. and genetic. of serological. wood. His use oi. chopping and slashing. a. carving technique created a visceral texture that also. similarities,^ •. originated. •. or. in. the. Amur. River basin. suggests the. on. work of nature,. art. formed naturally with-. out the use of human hands.. the east Asian mainland.^. may be descended from. the |omon,. Other. large-scale. works. in the exhibition. the earliest indigenous people of |apan.'. suggested treatments and themes Bikky internalSea. Russia. 71. ot Okhotsk. ized during a. 1983 stay with Canada's Northwest. Coast Native. artists.. /kamchalkap. totem poles. There he experienced old. in their natural setting,. some cracked. Ainu (?K. and. split,. some. "terrifically Sakhalin. Amu. / Kunle Amu. artist's. rotting. Amu. 'J'. to nature,. magical, demonstrating the Native. observation of the struggle of nature," he. told an interviewer Hokkaido. and returning. on. his return to Japan.'. was physically moved by the old totem especially those that. He. poles,. had tumbled down and were. Tohoku Ainu. decomposing. For Bikky. HI [fe'l. Fig.. A1.2:. Map. ot. UQdem Amu teaitory Amu ternlortes betore 1945 Probable lormer Amu lernlones. Hokkaido and Ainu. Luids.. this. was the natural.

Who. was. order of things, natures reclaiming of man's work.. It. a revelation: this realization of nature's primal role. was. are the Ainu? continued. The Ainu had no written language and because the language. what had been missing from. his art. After this eye-. opening experience of Canadian Native. art,. recent. Bikky dared. very. to create. outdoor monumental sculptures. believed that the natural. work. his. wood. It. also. isolate,. analysis. show the Ainu. (the ancient Japanese),. The. one. making. of the. Ainu's traditional. drastically in the. later. way. of. life. changed. and consolidagovernment in 1868, Hokkaido was officially annexed by |apan,. theme. a crucial. tion of a central. work.. and the |apanese government forced. stunned Bikky to learn that Native. many Japanese. — not. artists. souvenir. just. believed about the Ainu.. i. artists. with. 'diiliiHii's nil /'dxt'. little artistic. While Bikky had been struggling. '. him. allowed. Ainu. in the. to break through the self con-. sciousness of being called an 'Ainu". began accepting an. artist. a. modern. Ainu. sculptor. Because. met well-respected Canadian Native especially. Haida. artist Bill. artist. he had. artists,. Reid (1920-1998),. he started to believe that being an Ainu. was not. Bikky 's. last. exhibit also included. work, created during a frantic. two-day hospital furlough granted by doctors.. They had granted him. after learning that. ishing his. work. his assistants,. y. I. " _. .,. __y „. A.l: NiuickiDiuiy (hvil (,od), 1988.. artist. a liability.. The Kanagawa. in. He. artist.. wider definition of what. was, whether he was an. or simply a. ,. most. mid-nineteenth century.. Japanese art world, the Canadian experience. ,. are. the history of art.^. in. to create a place for himself as an. ,. there. After the Meiji Restoration. became. could be "successful and respected" skill, as. an. the direct descendants of the. continuous. His work would be inte-. grated as part of nature, which. of some of his. )omon. hand, and he was able to bring. full circle.. DNA. likely. their artistic traditions. phenomena would complete. after leaving his. beloved. his. wood. He. in. is. are few clues as to their origin. However,. an empty. this privilege. he was so intent on. that he. was going. who planned. to set. lot in the hospital. his. fin-. to direct. up shop. compotmd,. with walkie-talkies while looking through his. window. Nitnekamuy. (Evil. named. trickster. lor. one of the. God;. Fig. A. 1). gods of the &. is. xxii.

n. Who. are the Ainu? continued. Ainu people,. the Ainu to assimilate into the |apanese. population.^ The government forbade the. custom. burning. of. a. deceased person's. women's. house, the tattooing of. faces,. a familiar. born. Bikky chose the. Nitnekamuy was confronting his. god. in the region. name perhaps. believing that. casting an evil spell. own. where he was. on him, perhaps. mortality.. arms, and hands, and the wearing of earrings. by men.'o The usage of poisons. prohibited and. some. traditional. ceremo-. 1872 land taken from the Ainu was. tributed to ethnic |apanese settlers,. were encouraged to 1875-76 a |apanese. was. up. set. names. them. dis-. who. to. and the |apanese. change. Although the Ainu were. their. illusion.. now adopted. as. the adopted Ainu citizens. word. Haneda. Many. airport, seeking. airplanes turned. to seek calmer skies, but the plane's captain. was and promised. away. knew how to try his. best.. He. circled. through the rough. air. over. Haneda. for. nearly an hour, trying to land. Although everyone was. in. the family. tearhil, the pilot finally forced the airplane. made. down and. a safe landing.. The long. trip to. Tokyo exhausted Bikky, but. kyudojin (former. native) inserted before their. XXJl. while rain and strong. To guarantee. was a difference between the two peoples, the government distinguished between Japanese citizens and. Fig. A.2:. circling. serious Bikky's situation. that there. registry with the. winds kept the plane. tailing. names.. "equal citizens of |apan," the proclaimed. was an. Bikky s gurney was lashed across the top of nine rows. style family registry. to "proper" Japanese. equality. from Sapporo to Tokyo was rough;. an opportunity to land.. establish farms. In. for the Ainu,. tried to force. flight. of seats to keep him from. nies forbidden. In. The. for. hunting arrows and setting traps was also. names. i-' The. Kanagawa Gallery opening.. he made. a short. speech for the opening, well-attended.

.. because of the artists popularity and the drama of his. His voice was weak, almost. ness.. The audience. ill-. lost in the large gallery.. to be respected,. if it is. it. are the Ainu? continued. Ainu were also forced to give up their culture as hunters. strained to hear him. "A sculpture has to. be exhibited here. Who. must come. lapanese believed the Ainu were not. honor. this space." It reflected. not only his respect and. elementary schools with. own. to speak their. completing even. at the risk. and. tears,. a. and attending the opening,. this exhibition. of his. life.. The audience was moved. in. gave him a bouquet. Always popular. with women, Bikky continued,. "I see that. lapanese cur-. were forbidden. language.. At the time of Bikky Sunazawa's birth. to. 1931, the Ainu had begun to be. more conscious. woman. a. riculum, and Ainu children. but also his strong motivation lor. for this gallery,. intel-. they established segregated. lectual equals,. through. and gatherers and were. given un-tillable land to farm. Because the. there are a lot. heritage and. of their identity. began. to. to the discriminatory. and. demand an end. treatment by the. lapanese government. The Hokkaido Ainu. of. my women. fans here for. sense of humor,. and. my work." He. still. had. his. Organization was founded to improve the. independent educational development. broke the tension of the opening.. it. The Kanagawa. Gallery had asked. him. and. to write. a. magazine, Ezo-no-hikari (Light of. Hokkaido. something. and he wrote. for the exhibition catalogue,. with ink and brush a single word. for the It. coined,. meaning. "spirit. of wood." The word was not. only appropriate for the subject of the exhibition, expressed. Ainu. religious beliefs. had. spirits. issued in. was. first. community. also. who endowed. November. time.'^. into this time of great social. upheaval that Bikky was born of. in. works. the Ainu. Chikabumi on March C^^nt!^uu's. his. Hokkaido was uneventful. For. talked to his children, other relatives, jtist. first. in the. 6,. on. 1. 931. jhi^c. wiv. same way. for generations.. Bikky's return to. died. was. and Bikky s own deeply. held feelings, acknowledging the that his ancestors. it. ). 1930, giving the Ainu an organized voice. which he had. kiki,. of. the Ainu, free from lapanese involvement,. and. friends,. the next two days he. and painted with. his fingers.. He. four days after the exhibition. opening, on January 25, 1989.. As the dramatic events of the last. days of Bikky's. dynamic public ality. was. life. unfolded, the. side of Bikky's person-. in the spotlight.. Bikky was. a. complex man, on one hand he seemed. Hollywood. like a. caricature of the driven. artist, a cigarette in. mouth while he a large axe,. the corner oi his. attacked the. wood. wood with. or.. chips flying through. the air and punching holes in the cigarette. smoke. His large sculptures such. as Fig. A. 3: AV/v cilligraphy.. XXlll.

Who. are the Ainu? continued. found. Sidebar Notes 1. .. The Ainu. in the. Kaze (Wind). of his character.. refer to. themselves as. The. symbolize that aspect. series. overall treatment of these sculp-. tures evoke the quality of a primal spirit, expressing. "the People" or "the Humans." 2. 3.. Ohnuki-Tierney (1974:2).. Bickmore (1868), Siebold (1881),. Kodama 4. Vivien 5.. man.. Kodama. (1. and playful. severe. In contrast, Bikky could be as. For example, the giant. as a child.. as. On. found. the other in. Gozen. hand. 3-ji. his small scale sculptures. no Gangii (Toys. at. such. 3:00 A.M.). 970b:73-4).. reflect the. Koganei (1927), Turner (1989).. 8.. The jomon, thought by many scholars be the. offer.. most. Tongue of God speaks volumes of the private spiritual. Omoto and Harada. 7.. Asia,. nature can. to stand against the. Martin (1872).. St. Ohnuki-Tierney (1974:2), Black (1988:. to. test. sensitive. de. Donitz (1874),. 25),. dynamism needed. (1970b).. (1969). 6.. the. whimsical, mischievous side of his personal-. Everything about his work on the Toys at 3:00 A.M.. ity.. earliest culture in this part of. series. date back more than ten thou-. sand years. They are best known for. completely different than his large scale works;. is. they have a very smooth polished surface with meticu-. The designs on some ceramic and ivory humanoid and animal figures are very similar to historical designs of the Ainu, and the their distinctive pottery.. ceramic animal. jomon such. spirit. lous mechanical detail.. figures of the. as bear, killer whale,. shown. DNA. next door. If you can picture these, you have a view. and the complexities. little. that drove. this multi-talented artist.. Bikky s greatest contribution to modern. DNA. evidence, design similarities and an. apparent over the. me. his ability to create a vision. art. was. of nature that transcends. similarity in spiritual beliefs last. the. ten thousand years. mere natural forms found on. to believe that this artistic. evolution. going. girl. creating a favorite toy to give to the. that the Ainu are the direct. descendants of the jomon. The. lead. little. in. of the extreme contrasts. research has. picture the. boy. and. owl are also the main gods of the Ainu pantheon. Recent. him. You can almost. is. among. simply manipulating. the oldest on-. artistic traditions in. the world. wood and. the spirit of the tree, allowed. earth.. More than. form, his belief in. kiki,. him not only. to listen to. He. constantly. (Dubreuil 2003, 2002; Yamaura and. the trees, but to give. Ushiro 1999:39^6).. them another. life.. tried to see the supernatural order of things. beyond the. here and now. In so doing, he went beyond the concept of naturalism and reached. deeply into the Ainu soul.. but the foundation for. He. once. my work. the Japanese. This can't help but. stated, "I. don t consciously use Ainu themes,. my way of expressing affect my work.". and. Since Bikky s death in 1989, his reputation has. Hokkaido, the traditional home of the Ainu, but Japanese art world. In 1990 a leading art cussed Bikkys. TV. work on. is. different. grown not only. also in the. from. in. mainstream of the. Ichiro Hariu,. examined and. dis-. NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). program Nichiyo Bijutsu-kan (Sunday Gallery), which. sions of fine art.. XXIV. the prestigious. critic,. myself. is. dedicated to discus-. Hariu stated Bikky's work was deep and complex, but the more.

we know about. the. Art. artistic vision.. man, the more we appreciate. critic. Who. his. Tadayasu Sakai and contem-. 9.. are the Ainu? continued. Shinya (1977:1 74-9);. Asaji,. Miyatake,. and Nakama (1993:42-3).. porary sculptor Shigeo Toya examined Bikky's work on. 10. Shinya (1977:183-5); Asaji, Miyatake,. the. same program. in. 200 1 They were overwhelmed by. Bikky's ability to convey a sense that nature. the trees in the forest,. and Nakama (1993:43). The tattoos of the Ainu women were applied on. .. more than what we. is. see. more than arotmd. the. back of the hands,. lips,. and forearms,. us.. legs,. wrists,. and between the. eyebrows. Tattooing was done. Bikky's. contemporary. work has been included. in. and three. art exhibitions,. numerous. an early age and finished by the age. large-scale ret-. of marriage.. rospective exhibitions have been held: Sunazaiva Bikkyten. (The Exhibition of Bikky Sunazawa) was held. Hokkaido Asahikawa Museum of Art Sunazawa Bikky-ten (Tentacle Bikky Sunazawa) was held. The tattoo was. was gradually enlarged. in. lip. extension. like. laterally. and. to surround. the mouth, finally ending with a. in 1990; Tentacle:. on. started. the middle part of the upper. —The Exhibition of. in the. in. several sessions or phases starting at. tall-. and upwards;. however, the tattoo design differed. depending on. Hokkaido Museum. local regions. (Kodama. 1970b:l 16-37).. and Nakama (1993:. 11. Asaji, Miyatake,. of Modern Art in 1994; and Kiki: Sunazaiva Bikky-ten. 43).. An Exhibition of Bikky's Art) was held in the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sapporo, in 2001. At (Kiki:. 12. Sjoberg (1986:51) 13. Asaji, Miyake,. and Nakama (1993:. 82-3).. the international level, Bikky's as a. work was. also exhibited. major component of the large-scale Ainu exhibition, Ainu: Spirit of a Northern. People at the Smithsonian's National. D.C. from 1999. to. Museum. of Natural History. Washington,. 2000.. Furthermore, important academic publications such Isan (Cultural Property of the. Showa. in. Showa. as. Showa no Bunka. and Showa no Bijutsu (Art of the. Period). Period), both published in 1990, included Bikky's work.. Two. Japanese-. language books about Bikky's work have been published: Sunazawa Bikky. — — and Kaze no Oh Sunazaiva Bikky no ni kiku (Bikky. Sunazawa) by his. work has. Sunazawa. Tomoo. Listening to the. Sekai (King of Wind. Shibahashi in 2001. risen dramatically,. and. legacy grows.. out the. rest. new It's. find. Bill. Reid was. time that the. .. With. this. much. knew. right,. man and. his. Bikl<;y. was. work. are. 1996 Bikky. of. interest, the value ol. prolific,. Bikky worked. in. —The World. collectors are finding a great deal. than anyone suspected. While everyone prised at each. Wind) by Yasushi Asakawa. —Kaze. we. more work. are. like a beaver,. all. sur-. and. his. more widely known through-. of the world.. XXV.

Chapter Synopses Chapter. looks at the infltiences on Bikkys youth from his parents' pohti-. 1. cal activism in their traditional. birth in 1931 through. Ainu commtmity. his relocation to. his. in. 1953.. time of his. also see his fledgling. Chapter 2 covers Bikky 's exposure to Tokyo's intoxicating avant-garde art. world of the 1950s and early 1960s. There he launched series,. We. at the. would completely engage Bikky throughout. attempts to express the creativity that life.. Tokyo. Hokkaido. in. Animals, and respected art. began to notice. critics. his first abstract sculpture his. work. During the. period covered in Chapter 3 (1964-1978) Bikky returned to Hokkaido and began. two new themes, the. movement. Tentacle (a maze),. for. Ainu. civil rights. work. Chapter 4 (1978-1983). of Sapporo to Otoineppu,. a. and Ki-men (Wooden Masks). In the 1970s, embroiled Bikky, drawing him away from. follows Bikky 's. sculptures. raw material. and creating "totem. Chapter. a large studio. for his work,. poles" to. who. invited Bikky to. Canada, fascinated with totem. poles,. ideal. space and with an abundantly. Bikky began carving. large. various local commissions.. fill. Canadian scholar. 5 covers Bikky 's serendipitous meeting with the. Douglas Sanders,. his. the urban environment. remote northern area of Hokkaido with an. working environment. Equipped with rich forest that served as. move from. his. Canada. Bikky. to. meet Haida. visited various. artist Bill. totem pole. Reid. In. sites,. and. encounter with these powerful works was transforming. Working in the studio. of the highly respected and successful identity in a. more. Bikky fresh from. new. positive light. In. his visit. sense of freedom.. He. Bill. Chapter 6 (1984—1989) we. with Northwest created. Reid made him re-evaluate. many. Coast Native carvers. large pieces, including. see. his cultural. an energized. working with. a. outdoor sculptures.. In spite of the terrible pain of terminal cancer, full knowledge of. which was with-. held from him, Bikky didn't stop devoting himself intensely to the pursuit of his creations.. Chapter 7 examines Bikky's career and. matic and gifted Native legacy as a role. model. artist. the triumphs of this charis-. helped change Ainu tourist. art. and established. his. for the future.. Sidebars throughout the vital. how. volume provide information on Ainu. and complex component of Bikky s. life. and. art.. culture, a.

Research Methodology Being Ainu first-hand. I. wanted. told. As. to. sister. gave. me. anything. like. creativity. all. A of. a teenager,. but. fit in,. you look. Japan can be challenging, something. in. it. wooden. a. It. it.. was. many. decade. later. Much. times.. that day. fell. descent.. into. my. life. my. In traveled. I. to the pole. On. I. never saw. our honeymoon, we went to the small culin front. of the museum, was a "totem. was a small sign that identified the. had heard of Bikky,. took. a. dramatic turn artist. who. really. I. as. I. began. created that. tree landscapes. many members of the Sunazawa. brother, Bikkys three wives,. to discover a vibrant. man and. areas of. Bikky. new Ainu. his art,. I. Hokkaido, Japan,. of Kyushu in southern Japan.. family, including. two of his four children, and many life,. I. Bikkys younger friends. and drink-. both Japanese and Ainu.. also interviewed professional acquaintances, employers, art critics,. directors,. I. art.. ing buddies from his teen years and throughout his. who. artist as. this. know much about him, but. did not. quest for information about this incredible. humid, statuesque palm. Ainu. scholars,. museum curators and photographer who chronicled. wrote poems about Bikky, Japanese and Ainu. Ainu. last six years. carvers,. of Bikkys. cultural leaders.. I. government life,. the. officials,. publishers,. newspaper. viewed and photographed. as. reporters, Ainti elders. many of Bikky s works. those in private collections and in current exhibitions.. background material, copied and translated. stories. when my. and married an American Indian. in love with,. from the deepest snows of the northernmost. interviewed. for. it.. you're. totem pole had traditional Ainu design elements that. and the story of the. poets. when. of that changed, however,. Ainu designs carved. Chikabumi Ainu. There,. Next. Sunazawa. While. I. most kids. suddenly woke up to find incredibly beautiful Ainu. I. met,. I. different; this. relate to.. to the. to maintain a positive self-image. ring with intricate. as if. heritage. Like. was vaguely familiar with the totem poles ot Alaska and Canada, but. I. was very. art,. was hard. my Ainu. interest in. have experienced. around me.. tural center of the. could. had no. different too. Mohawk and Huron. pole.". I. I. all. about Bikky from newspapers, books, and. involved. many. libraries,. and small. visits to. Japan and to Haida. the. Hokkaido. village libraries.. I. artist Bill Reid's. I. to. and Ainu. as possible,. bought many older books. of Bikkys public statements and. his television appearances.. prelectural library, university. went. the. two of his. last. This. and regional. working studios. in. former studio in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.. I.

interviewed every contact Bikky had during his working Bill. visit to. Canada, including. Reid, and have photographed several of Bikky s paintings purchased at his. Vancouver exhibition, Canada.. as well as the. two sculptures by Bikky that were. has been an exciting journey, and. It. it is. not over. left. in. yet.. Acknowledgments This book. From the Playground of the Gods: The Life and Art of Bikky. would not have been completed without the help and support from. Siuiazaioa. the. Motoko. Ikeda-Spiegel Memorial Foundation.. Motoko's husband.. Si Spiegel, for his. I. am. also sincerely grateful to. support to complete. this. book. in the. mem-. ory of his beloved wife. Motoko's friendship, her wisdom, and her passion for the. Ainu gave me strength. as. I. worked. to give an accurate description. culture for the Smithsonian Institution People.. The opportunity. 1999 exhibition, Ainu:. of Ainu. Spirit. art. and. of a Northern. me by William W. Fitzhugh, Director of the Arctic Museum of Natural History, enable me to bring Bikky. given. Studies Center, National. 's. work from Japan, which anchored. the contemporary section of the exhibition.. This book also would not have been completed without the help and. hom. support. 1993. While. the people. for. my many. members:. list. their contribution.. informants.. First,. who was. everyone. However,. research beginning in. involved with. special recognition. and foremost,. my. Mineko Kano, Jtmko. his three wives,. my. met and talked with during. impossible to. it's. thank them for. I. my. research,. I. must be recorded. thanks go to Bikky 's family. Takagi, and. Ryoko Sunazawa;. his. younger brother, Kazuo Sunazawa; and two of Bikky 's four children, Oki Kano. and Chinita Sunazawa. Yazaki and. many. thank Bikky's. also. friends, especially. Makoto Kawakami, who generously shared with me. stories of Bikky, I. I. and who patiently continue. also appreciate the. to. my. answer. Katsumi. their personal. endless questions.. support from the Chief Curator, Shigeo Okuoka,. former Curator, Yasushi Asakawa and former Associate Curator, Toshiya Echizen of the Hokkaido. Museum. of. Modern Art. Kazuyoshi Ohtsuka, Professor. at the. in. Sapporo.. National. I. Museum. am. also. indebted to. of Ethnology, Osaka, for. sharing his research information on both the Ainu in general and his relationship. with Bikky. Several people have given or sent. me. have proved invaluable. For that assistance. xxviii. I. information and photographs that. thank the following people: Mitsuko.

Gosuke Yoshida, Irumi Sasakura, Reiko. Arita,. Sugiyama,. Miwako Tozuka,. Taijin Tendo,. Saito,. Shinobu. Tsutomu Yamakawa and Shigeru Kayano, Cultural Leader of Ainu.. I. thank Motomichi Kono. especially. and photographs covering the. historical. who. sent. me. for the. Nibutani band. a great deal of material. background of Bikky's parents and the. Chikabumi band of Ainu of Asahikawa, and Matsuo from the Kanagawa. Kazuhiko. Ishijima,. Gozo Yoshimasu, Kaoru Tomihara,. curators Toshie Fujishima. and Konagi. Prefectural Gallery for the generous loan of photo-. graphs and their valuable insights. I. -. am. also very grateful for the generosity. and memories with. time, talents,. the field research.. They. me. include art. Kazuko. Shiraishi. and Ryoken. Torii;. who. shared their. through the often lengthy interviews during. critics. and Chief Curator of Yokohama. Critic. of these people. Yoshie Yoshida, Ichiro Hariu, and Art. Museum. Bikky s. of Art, Atsushi Takeda; poets. later assistant,. of Aoki Gallery, Sotoji Aoki; Bikky's friend and. collector,. Mitchio Takagi; owner. Hideyuki Hayashi;. from the Ainu Tourist Art and Folkcraft Company, the Kitanihon Mingei-sha, president Takeji Takahashi, Hiroko and Tatsuji Takeishi; photographer Hiroaki Kai; publisher. and chief editor of the Kyoudoshi Asahikaiva (Local Magazine of. Asahikawa), Sanko Watanabe; faculty. member. Kenji Sanekata, from the. Law. Department, University of Hokkaido; Itsuko and Makoto Ishihara, Bikky s friends. and owners of the bookstore, Sapporo-do, who cult to locate. and Shizuka. Akan. me. also supplied. with. rare, diffi-. books on Ainu culture; Toyojiro Shitaku, Morio Senke, Nuburi Toko. Taira. Special thanks also goes to. Akira Toko, former Chairman of. Association of Ainu Cultural Preservation; Bikky's lifelong friends, Takeki. Fujito,. Masako. Kinoshita, Asahikawa. Ainu Cultural. Leader, Kenichi. Tome Kawamura, Noriko Kawamura, and Mitsuru Sugimura. Kawamura,. (1928-2001); and. the village officials in Otoineppu, Fiideaki Usami, Masayuki Chitenji, Yoshiaki. Nakanishi, Eiichi Miyakawa, Koji Hishita, and Shigeru Nakano.. My gratitude my. research. also goes to the. and shared with. include Takeo and. me. people in Vancouver, Canada,. their rare collections of Bikky's work.. in. who. during the research.. who. They. I. especially. thank Setsuko and. me to photograph Bikky's works my husband and me to stay in their cozy home. arranged the opporttmity for. Vancouver and who invited. Martine Reid. helped. Sumiko Yamashiro, Minorii and Mitsue Yamamoto, Kumi. Shanahan, Shogo Shimizu, and Marjorie Powell. Pierre Pieoche. who. My. very special thanks goes to. not only accepted. my. Bill. Reid (1920-1998) and. interview requests, but loaned. me. Bikky's. xxix.

of Tokyo no. scroll sketch. the. memory. Hi (Night. Lights of Tokyo, 1988).. wearing Martine Reid's beautiful vest with Northwest Coast indig-. of:. enous formline designs and dancing to. room.. living. University of British Columbia,. Ainu. quent. and. who. political situation in Japan,. trip to the. his wife. Washington. Ryoko, and. Bill. shared with. me. on the. his research materials. and the wonderful story of meeting Bikky, the. my supervisory. thanks goes to. Press, especially. comments, and patience. committee. Robin Wright, Paul. and encouragement throughout. thank Perpetua. I. Islands) for the potlatch with. Bikky. and Martine Reid.. in Seattle, Professors. for their advice. Sunazawa.. Douglas Sanders, Professor of Law,. Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte. My sincere. advise,. beat provided by Bill Reid in his. Gitksan area of northern British Columbia with Bikky, and the subse-. trip to. I. drum. a. also give particular thanks to. I. shall always cherish. I. my. at University. and Martha Kingsbury,. Berry,. early research period.. Kathy Talley-Jones,. to edit the story. sincerely appreciate Elisabeth Ward's. of. for their insightful. of the complex. artist. Bikky. work on behalf of the. Arctic. Studies Center, Smithsonian Institution, to complete the administrative process after. Thanks. William Fitzhugh agreed. to. The. And. who brought. Castle Press in Pasadena,. through their design and printing ation.. to publish the book,. skills;. certainly, the enthusiastic. and. to Betty. of. support of the University of Hawai'i. cannot express the depth of. I. for his support,. encouragement, and. process of research and writing.. He. every step of the. hold most dear. way has. is. David,. truly. marketing and distributing. made my. 1.. Haida. Bankalhi Sbinpo,. artist Bill. Reid, interview. November. 18,. 1983. my. much. that lasted several hours.. December. 19, 1993.. husband, David,. English. grammar and. comments, and advice throughout. understand. End Notes. my. of humor throughout the long. research possible.. view tapes, he wasnt entirely successful.. 2.. thanks to. patiently checked. who doesn t. awake during an interview. my. his great sense. writing. His photography, questions, editorial. 3. Ibid.. Press,. this publication.. Finally,. stay. grace to the finished product. Adair for her creative collaber-. especially Patricia Crosby, Executive Editor, for their efforts. and write the foreword.. One. of the memories. I. Japanese, trying bravely to. By. the. sound of the. inter-.





Chapter. Bikky's Early Life. and. My mother asked me to. i. Influences (1931-1953). embroider one of the garments. she was making. I was very young and, even though. Ifelt. reluctant, I. was attracted. I'm grateful that she taught. Ainu. designs are. Hisao Sunazawa. born on March. Asahikawa City in. 6,. embroider because the. blood.. to. me. m central. wood from. ("frog" in the. Hokkaido. Like other children. his father.. grandparents gave. him. He was. in the forest with. and learning how very. —. '. 1931, in Chikabumi, a traditional Ainu. his brothers, visiting his grandparents,. his. my. — nicknamed "Bikky". Chikabumi, Bikky enjoyed playing. to carve. to. now second nature. they're in. ofgarment.. to the designs. me. lively,. and. Ainu language). community. would. stick. located near. Sidebar 2. The Ainu Homeland "Tl)is. northern country doesn't give up. winter. easily,. wheji winter loses the fight,. spring appears to be in combat against the snoio. the nickname that. and cold. The warm. rays of the sun seem to sing. praise of victory.. with him for the. rest. of his. life. for. —was. brilliant. a song in. "'. jump-. ing around too much. Unlike other boys in traditional. Bikky learned. Ainu communities, young. how. embroidery. to create. designs from his mother, a gender related skill rarely. passed along by. their sons.. And. commitment. to. women. to. because of his parents'. winning. fair. treatment. of the Ainu by the Japanese, Bikky was. exposed to youngest. political activism. years.. from. his Fig. A.2.1: Scenic siiot ot Hoi<i<aido.. i'.oui'unics. on. />i;,vi'. 1.

—. —. A. The Ainu Homeland continued. Kanno,. For millennia the Ainu people hunted. the forests of Hokkaido and fished. berries. many. and wild. lily. roots.. They. Ainu. Salmon returning clothing.. activists. brought the infant along on the long. and exhausting. lived as. to the rivers in the. government. fall. They ranged widely over the. mountains hunting deer and layers of. them. trip to. Tokyo. to. complain. Hokkaido to. bear. Furs. officials. to Japanese. about a land dispute with the. Prefectural Office.". The. was supposed. snows that come with the winter winds. dispute went back. 1891 when uncultivated land near Bikky s birthplace. heavy clothing protected. against the harsh winters-heavy. from. mother Peramonkoro, and three other. indigenous people of the North do.. provided food and material for boots and. and. his. its. gathering acorns and beech nuts,. rivers,. year after Bikky was born, his father Koa-. to be released to the. Ainu. as. "indigenous. allowance land," but only a small fraction of. it. was. Siberia.. and that land was threatened by. Before the japanese cleared Ainu lands for farming,. much. Hokkaido. of. — the. a local developer.. As were many who challenged the Japanese. northernmost of japan's many islands. was covered with. government. forests: pine in the. north; larch, beech,. and oak. in. the south.. The Ainu used wood from the forests to build their houses and boats and even. Peramonkoro. attush.. was. this natural. of is. my an. of his. themes. Art. art.. It is. one. is. of. life,. in. is. recalled,. 2.. ct al.. "we went to petition the as the. vari-. Ministry of the. everywhere we went, we had our pictures taken. to. be honest with. undesirable Ainu.. Although. their. (1989:97). Yamakavva (1988:191). Fig. 1.1:. photo of delegation. It. was not. as. a pleasant experience."'. campaign was. Sidebar Notes. Hanu. later,. artistic attitudes.. yourself. "2. 1.. were called. Finance and Ministry of the Interior every day, but. one. nature and nature. my. Knowing nature means. "nature. activists. into their hotel. Years. ous government agencies such. environment that. stimulated Bikky's artwork: as he noted. toward the end. Ainu. communists. Government agents followed them,. and the police broke. processed elm bark for clothing, called. It. at the time, the. in Tok)'o.. a hardship for the.

Sunazawa's,. it. was. two years. 1934, the government returned. later, in. their land."*. Koa-kanno and Peramonkoro. Sunazawa fought at a. successful:. time. and won Ainu. for. rights. when few indigenous people. worldwide had yet. to. win many. battles. against discrimination.. Bikky's Parents Both Koa-kanno and Peramonkoro. Sunazawa were committed. leaders. and. were respected throughout Ainu country.. Although they were rooted tional. Ainu way. of. would. face in a. they were also. life,. pragmatic about the. in the tradi-. realities their. children. changing world. They. encouraged Bikky and. his brothers to. discover their strengths in the traditional Figure 1.2: Koa-kanno Sunazawa with bear carving.. culture while also demonstrating. would take. to live in a. Bikky's father,. what. it. world dominated by the Japanese.. Koa-kanno Sunazawa, was born. Sidebar 3. Ainu. Wood. In traditionai. in. 1893. in. Shin-Totsugawa in Sorachi. western Hokkaido, and. moved. to. district in. Asahikawa. south-. in 1914.. carved virtually every. his. official. Japanese. name was. Ichitaro, but. he preferred. Ainu name Koa-kanno, which means "two arrows. Much sizes. men. utilitarian object,. from parts of the house vessels. His. Carving. Ainu households,. Itself. to serving. and implements, out of wood. of this carving. is. plain. and empha-. the wood's natural beauty. Like. many. other carving cultures, such as those of. aren't necessary," celebrating his. bow and. arrow.'. He was. woodcarver and grew family. to the. prowess. as a. hunter with. many. Canada's Northwest Coast,. every-. also a respected. rice to. support his. Even though the farmland returned. Ainu was often poor, Koa-kanno. continued. his fight for fairness, actively. organizing Ainu farmer and labor move-. ments, for which he was highly esteemed. Despite his strong links to his traditional Fig. 1.3.1: Ikupasuy.. (. Aniliintcs. jm^c 5. 3.

Koa-kanno,. culture, his. in. another example of. independence, converted to Christianity. and served. World War. Army. officer before. his wife. Peramonkoro. as a Salvation. He and. II.. held Sunday school training at. home. for their. neighbors and children.''. During World War. II. Bikky's elder. half-brother Yoshio (Peramonkoro's son by a previous marriage). was drafted into the. Japanese army, even though Koa-kanno did. not approve ot Ainu involvement in Japanese imperial policies.. would. When. he was drinking he. sing anti-war songs. and shout. that he. was "against the war and against the emperor system. All don't. want. human. my. beings are the same.. I. son to die for the emperor."''. emperors. Criticizing the. policies. was. a serious. crime punishable by death, and fearing fanatical Japanese neighbors, gure. covered Koa-kanno's head with bedclothes. Peramonkoro Sunazawa. 1.3:. Peramonkoro. so he couldn't be heard. Nonetheless, Koa-. kanno's independent views in the face of such strong disapproval had an indelible. impression on Bikky. Like her husband, Peramonkoro, meaning, "child playing with a spatula,". was known. for her leadership.. Ainu women. to graduate. Born. in. Chikabumi. from high school. Sheika Woman's High School in 1915.. in 1897, she. was one of the few. at that time, finishing the. Asahikawa. Not only was Peramonkoro Sunazawa. well educated, but she proved to be entrepreneurial. and resourceful. in. making. ends meet.. She taught Japanese dress-making, knitting, and embroidery. women. in the. community, which gave them. to their families, she. was respected. traditionalist, she felt. as a. skills. needed. to bring. to the. Ainu. some income. master of traditional Ainu embroidery.. an obligation to hand. down. her. skill. and knowledge. A. to the. next generation. She did not hesitate, however, to cross gender barriers to teach her. son Bikky. how. to. embroider traditional garments when she noticed. his interest in.

art,. Ainu. especially his interest in. "My mother. she was making. felt reluctant,. me. asked I. to. recalled:. embroider one of the garments. was very young and, even though. was attracted. I. Bikky. designs.. Wood. Ainu. day objects are beautifully decorated with. on women's garments. Wooden carvings. to the designs of garment.. me. Ainu designs. my. now second. are. to. embroider because the. nature to. me. — theyVe. those found. intricate patterns similar to I. were. either functional within the house-. hold or had. I'm grateful that she taught. Carving continued. in. there are few. a spiritual use;. examples of toys or artworks created only for. purposes of self-expression.. The most important object carved. blood.. spiritual. Not only did Peramonkoro. perpetuate. strive to. purposes. is. for. the ikupasuy or. prayer-stick (Fig. 1.3.1). Normally thirty to forty centimeters (eleven to fifteen. Ainu. culture, she. Ainu Women's for older. help.. was. also the. backbone of the Young. Association. In this role she helped care. Ainu women and younger women who needed. Many Ainu women. in the. community. her as an advanced and independent. respected. woman. and three to four centimeters more than an inch) wide, it is usually made from yew or willow wood. It is carved in a somewhat flattened shape and usually rounded edges and tapered at one inches) long. (a little. end. Even though the carving area. while at the. ited,. is. and. creative relationship with the space. same time she was known and admired. for her. knowl-. mother influenced her son. as. used an interesting juxtaposition of low-. and. edge ofyukar, the oral epics of the Ainu. Again, his. high-relief designs that. range from. very complex to quite simple.. the yukar played an impor-. tant part in Bikky's art in later years.. organisms such. as. people or animals were never used. in. Traditionally, living. Ainu design for fear of angering the. As. a tribute to their individual leadership,. spirits,. Ainu Jinbutsu-den (The Legendary Ainu). wen kamuy, but the ikupasuy. examples of the owner's personal. in his book,. totems. in artistic. place, the. Childhood (1931-1942). nity).. Even. flowers. While. known. (traditional. here, however, Bikky's. of two cultures,. Ainu way of life. a. fish,. snakes,. human-made. items. is. generally referred to as. "a mustache-lifter," or "libation. his birth-. in. no. depictions of humans.. The ikupasuy. the exception of his early trip to Tokyo,. Chikabumi kotan. spirit. also appear, especially boats, there are. Bikky spent the remainder of his childhood in. an. exact realism to the most abstract forms. Totem examples include bears, killer. in 1992.. and. With. is. renderings ranging from. whales, seals, otters, birds,. Bikky's. any. evil. exception. They are carved with creative. Ainu scholar Genjiro Aral recognized Koa-Kanno and Peramonkoro separately by including them. lim-. the Ainu have had an aggressive and. anthropological literature.. It's. wand" an. Ainu commu-. youth was a mixture. dramatic change from the traditional. to assimilation into the Japanese society.. His grandparents lived in a traditional Ainu house next to his parents' Japanese-style. the. Ainu language,. same time,. especially. his parents. house and spoke to him. when. in. scolding him. At the. spoke to him mostly. in Japanese.. Bikky went back and forth between the two homes.. Fig. 1.3.2: Inaw. Continues. oil /'w^c. 6. 5.

i. Wood. Ainu. Carving continued. it. consumed, appears that the men hold their mousany. which sake. ritual in. is. Bikky's cousin Yoshiaki described an event. tache up from the sake with the ikupasuy. when in. loved the. way of the Ainu.. traditional. understandable mistake because as part of. He. preferring to stay with his grandparents.. shows the mix of cultures even. that. in their traditional. drinking. Actually, they are dipped. the sake to sprinkle. it. community:. on an inaw or. other important object to help send their. The tapered end. prayers (Fig.. 1. the ikupasuy. is. (tongue).. purpose. Its. .3.2).. with the gods tor it. of. in. to. is. identifies the. supplicant. sign). is. worshiper to the gods,. for. hunter or fisher or grateful. a. An. mother while Uncle Koa-kanno. (Bikky's father). was away hunting. I enjoyed play-. ing with Bikky. i>ery. get sweets to. inaw. also. is. simplicity, the. inaw. is. various lengths from less than six feet.. It. they often. in. acts as the. came. to. Bikky s house. Everyone was. told Christian stories.. most. pine. is. there. The Ainu carve the maw from different types of trees depending on its purpose.. Army people. listen-. ivhile they. trees. and other. We went outside where. types. there were. of trees, but most importantly. was an Ainu altar (nusa) that displayed many. bear skulls that Uncle Koa-kanno hunted. This type of. They use willow and dogwood, which a fine grain and light color, for "good gods" who brought prosperity and. have. altar was found at every Aitiu hunter's house including. my. own. Both Bikky. and I were. very proud of what our. they offer the inaw to "bad. as the. chose trees with or that. ojfcers were also there as. ing seriously to the Salvation. never reused after a specific ceremony.. gods" such. traditional. in. one foot. important messenger to the gods and. When. Army. many. got there we found. and older women with. tattooing. Salvation. usually a finely. shaved tree limb tufted at one end. welfare.. ive. an important. Ainu ceremonial carving. Beautiful. more than. When. eat.. mothers, children,. on the ikupasuy.. also carved. attention, the. much and after playing we would. itokpa (patrilineal ancestor. Although the ikupasuy has received much. to. his. between humans and the gods, and. example, as. its. Bikky and. to visit. communicate. the pivotal role of media-. my mother and I went. the early spring one year,. ///. carved with a parunpe. gods. wood. fathers. of disease, they. that smelled. had done.. A few days. bad. later. Bikky rushed into. my. house. and. had thorns.. said "Yo [his cousin's nickname],. a. bear.. Come and eat. house with guests.. my. the. meat. in. my. my dad has just caught. house. " I immediately visited their. mother. Bikky's house was already crowded with. Many men. already finished the kamuy-nomi,. they enjoyed talking about hunting!^ Uncle. many. Ainu prayers, and. Koa-kanno was. in. a good mood. as he. rubbed his long beard gently and contentedly. Women began singing. Ainu. songs.. The hot bear meat soup was passed around the guests. This was. a very old Ainu custom. When a. villager. hunted a. bear, his family invited. all the village people to share their good-fortune dinner.^^^. Both Christianity and the. traditional. Ainu. beliefs. were present. world. His parents held Sunday school and invited the Salvation. 6. Army. in Bikky's officers to.

3. their. and. home, and they performed. traditional. a mixture of Christian. Ainu prayers on every occasion.. Nonetheless, Koa-kanno was well. known. Wood. Ainu. During ceremonies, nnen in. as the. author. of especially revered and sacred kamuy-nomi, prayer-like. front of their altar. ikupasuy it. gods. Despite his exposure to Christianity, Bikky never this. system of. beliefs. maintained traditional Ainu. and throughout. sacred sake and then sprinkle. in. around the. beliefs.. carving, even if. it. him from. was. his constant. traditional.. He. own. drawing or. usually scolded. him, saying, "dont do carvings, do your school work. and study hard."" In. contrast,. standing of his creative. skills,. Peramonkoro was under-. and she bought Bikky. the. in. poor, so impoverished that she sold azuki beans, used to. make. hoods. fire pit. was. to. make. the. to. door. in the Japanese neighbor-. money needed. to. buy. art supplies for. Depending on the. window. area, this. would point toward the mountains or wherever the important gods could be. made. found. Inaw were. all. to different gods,. and stayed where they. were placed. they. until. except for the inaw. which was burned. fell. as offerings. decay. into. god,. for the fire. after use.^. Both the. much. ikupasuy and the inaw are very. — not only. in. ceremonies, but for use. and. public. modern. the. in. in. private. home.. artifacts.. also carve other spiritual. A man's ceremonial headdress. sometimes included totem animals such These. as bears, killer whales, or owls.. Bikky. window. a. "god window," where inaw was also placed.. called a. The Ainu men. door. sweets,. had. side of the chise, or house,. use today. crayons and paper even though the family was extremely. was. fire. and many inaw were placed throughout the home. The east placed. another type of. his. interior of the. house. The /now for the god of. that. Bikkys father encouraged him to find way, but discouraged. his life. inaw. set several. and would dip the. over the inaw while praying. Inaw were. also placed. songs or poems that send messages of appreciation to the. espoused. Carving continued. ceremonial headdresses are worn by. male participants. for the. iyomante (bear. sending ceremony). Also used. spirit. in. the Iyomante ceremony are special blunt. Bikky's. Youth (1943-1953). arrows carved to shoot the bear. The. arrow. Until he was six years old, Bikky had tact. with Japanese children.. When. little. con-. is. Ainu. children, Bikky started elemen-. was a painful. tary school with Japanese children. This. period for Bikky and other Ainu children, because they. excite the bear. were constantly ridiculed by their Japanese classmates. Nonetheless, Bikky graduated from the in. 1945, making. life,. Sunazawa's, even. II. Asahikawa City. in. still.. just. know who. before they. the bear. The arrow let. sent the bear god's. to gods' land.. Many. is. to a god,. when. is. spirit. scholars have. in reality. carved. the gods. the mistake of thinking the bear. at. is. back. made a sac-. the bear. god.. the age 1.. Fu)imura (1982:76-7).. 2.. Takakura (1970:634-5).. 3.. Dubreuil (1999b, 2003).. later.. which had never been easy difficult. kill. off the bear,. gods play. Sidebar Notes. 1943. ended with Japan's defeat. more. It. and the. Chikabumi. of twelve and from junior high two years. World War. flower,. with the ancestral itokpa to. rifice. Elementary School. open. which normally bounce actually. for the. partially. Ainu believe that shooting these arrows,. the segregated school. system ended in 1937 and an "equal" educational system. was created. called heper-ay (flower arrow).. resembles a. in. for the. Koa-kanno and. 7.

Bikky,. who was. kilometers. then. hom. fifteen,. Asahikawa. almost impossible to. make. attempted to farm the land given the Ainu seven. City.. They were not To earn. a living.. venir woodcarvings in the Lake. Akan. successful, however,. a small income,. and. left. Chikabumi. became. it. Koa-kanno sold sou-. tourist resort.'". Bikky, with the encouragement of his father, decided to. dairy farmer. and. at the. become. a. age of sixteen to attend the Prefectural. Agriculture Training School in Tokachi, in southern Hokkaido, in 1947. At the. school he continued to experience the racism from Japanese students and teachers to. which he had been subjected. in. elementary and junior high school, but he. Chikabumi. nonetheless completed his year there and returned to his. and. new knowledge. He and. his father joined forces. tried to cultivate the land in. lish a. new Ainu. kotan,. Ubun,. Ainu settlement.. in. 1948 with. with ten Ainu households. suburb of Asahikawa City, and estab-. a. A. cousin working alongside Bikky on the. undertaking recalled: It ligbt.. was a bard. We. life. lived in a. butterbur stalks. with only a bonfire for beat. bamboo. shed.. and an. oil. lamp for. Our meals were mainly cooked. and corn mixed with a. chopping wood, gathering bamboo. little rice.. We worked hard. and digging up. leaves,. tree roots.^^. Even though the work was grueling, Bikky sketched the farm animals:. Afer I finished supper the cattle. in the shed, I began. making sketches of. and horses I had worked with during ning I just wanted. and capture. its. to. the day. In the begin-. draw a. sturdiness. horse as. essence. of the horse. was. and strength. But. more I drew, the more I wanted. —and. it. to. the. capture the. eventually the animals. I drew turned into abstract forms.. Unfortunately, none of Bikky's abstract. animal sketches are abstract. known. to survive, but an extant. pen drawing [Figure. 1.4],. one of his. earliest. known. works, shows organic tubular material with. tufts at. each end floating in space that. may. reflect the. kind of abstract form with which he experimented.. Horses were Figure 1.4: Teenage abstract drawing.. and. at least. among. his earliest. woodcarving. subjects,. one of these carvings remains, a simple.

Figure 1.5: Teenage horse carving.. Standing horse [Figure contours.. and the. The. moment. cattle. even. I. inferiority.. minimally done: the eyes are. Ubun. his. gave. childhood.. him time. "When. began to hate the Japanese.. and horses than at the. emphasize. a chisel to just. its. carved-out holes,. chisel or scalper strokes. of repose for the serene and solitary horse.. he had confronted since severe,. body with. its. two simple projections. The use of bold. Bikky's isolation in. was so. Bikky carved. facial features are. ears are. suggests a. 1.5].. to think. about the. worked the farm,. I. racial. prejudice. racial prejudice. was much more comfortable with. I. people.""^" Struggling to fight racial prejudice,. he realized. age of seventeen that the core of his problem was his. own. He knew. change the. that while he could. do. little at. that time to. feelings. of. dis-. crimination against the Ainu, he could change himself: It. came. to. me. that the. Ainu should not be ashamed of who. or hide the fact that they are Ainu. I didn't tity,. hut I didn't want. squarely with. it.. It. to. hide behind. want. it either.. was then that I made up. hood Ainu nickname. to. hide. they are. my Ainu. iden-. I thought I should grapple. my mind to. use tny child-. 'Bikky instead of my legal Japanese name, Hisao.^^ 9.