Ainu Representation in the World of Japanese Comics: Shumari and Golden Kamuy Take on the Ruling Narratives of Hokkaidō History
Examining Japanese history through manga may initially seem unconventional, given the considerable distrust towards the medium in Western scholarship, where it is often viewed as a tool for distorting history. To avoid misinterpretation in the analysis of Japanese comics, it is essential to approac...
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Eötvös Loránd University
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Távol-keleti Tanulmányok |
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| Online Access: | https://ojs.elte.hu/tkt/article/view/9852 |
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| author | Zsófia Keller |
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Examining Japanese history through manga may initially seem unconventional, given the considerable distrust towards the medium in Western scholarship, where it is often viewed as a tool for distorting history. To avoid misinterpretation in the analysis of Japanese comics, it is essential to approach them with what Tessa Morris-Suzuki terms historical truthfulness, recognising them as gateways to a complex web of inherited ideas rather than direct representations of the historical periods that they depict. This approach is supported by Luc Pauwels’ integrated conceptual framework for visual sociology, which cautions against conflating the depiction with the depicted in the analysis of pre-made visuals. This study employs this methodological framework to analyse and compare two manga series that explore Ainu history and culture: Tezuka Osamu’s Shumari and Noda Satoru’s Golden Kamuy. Both narratives are set in Meiji-era Hokkaidō, a time when Wajin newcomers sought to erase the Indigenous Ainu from the northern island’s history. Consequently, Hokkaidō is often still perceived as a natural frontier developed by settlers for the benefit of the Japanese nation, while the Ainu continue to be stereotyped as a dying race. By critically engaging with these prevailing narratives, Tezuka and Noda elevate their work to what Pierre Nora calls places of memory. Nissim Otmazgin describes the way in which interacting with such seemingly unassuming places of memory creates, propagates, and reproduces a variety of memories about history among its readership as banal memory. Tezuka’s Shumari challenges the narrative of Hokkaidō as empty land by portraying it as the colonised land of the Ainu, yet he struggles to escape the dying race stereotype in the depiction of his Ainu characters. Conversely, Noda’s Golden Kamuy rejects this stereotype by vividly—and at times anachronistically—showcasing the beauty of Ainu culture. However, by sidelining historical injustices in his narrative, Noda offers readers a shallow understanding of Ainu history.
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| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2060-9655 2786-2976 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Eötvös Loránd University |
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| series | Távol-keleti Tanulmányok |
| spelling | doaj-art-6be4027f26d64b8bb590544d0f03a3a12025-01-03T17:56:41ZengEötvös Loránd UniversityTávol-keleti Tanulmányok2060-96552786-29762025-01-0117110.38144/TKT.2025.1.6Ainu Representation in the World of Japanese Comics: Shumari and Golden Kamuy Take on the Ruling Narratives of Hokkaidō HistoryZsófia Keller0Eötvös Loránd University Examining Japanese history through manga may initially seem unconventional, given the considerable distrust towards the medium in Western scholarship, where it is often viewed as a tool for distorting history. To avoid misinterpretation in the analysis of Japanese comics, it is essential to approach them with what Tessa Morris-Suzuki terms historical truthfulness, recognising them as gateways to a complex web of inherited ideas rather than direct representations of the historical periods that they depict. This approach is supported by Luc Pauwels’ integrated conceptual framework for visual sociology, which cautions against conflating the depiction with the depicted in the analysis of pre-made visuals. This study employs this methodological framework to analyse and compare two manga series that explore Ainu history and culture: Tezuka Osamu’s Shumari and Noda Satoru’s Golden Kamuy. Both narratives are set in Meiji-era Hokkaidō, a time when Wajin newcomers sought to erase the Indigenous Ainu from the northern island’s history. Consequently, Hokkaidō is often still perceived as a natural frontier developed by settlers for the benefit of the Japanese nation, while the Ainu continue to be stereotyped as a dying race. By critically engaging with these prevailing narratives, Tezuka and Noda elevate their work to what Pierre Nora calls places of memory. Nissim Otmazgin describes the way in which interacting with such seemingly unassuming places of memory creates, propagates, and reproduces a variety of memories about history among its readership as banal memory. Tezuka’s Shumari challenges the narrative of Hokkaidō as empty land by portraying it as the colonised land of the Ainu, yet he struggles to escape the dying race stereotype in the depiction of his Ainu characters. Conversely, Noda’s Golden Kamuy rejects this stereotype by vividly—and at times anachronistically—showcasing the beauty of Ainu culture. However, by sidelining historical injustices in his narrative, Noda offers readers a shallow understanding of Ainu history. https://ojs.elte.hu/tkt/article/view/9852Ainubanal memorydying racehistorical truthfulnessHokkaidōmanga |
| spellingShingle | Zsófia Keller Ainu Representation in the World of Japanese Comics: Shumari and Golden Kamuy Take on the Ruling Narratives of Hokkaidō History Távol-keleti Tanulmányok Ainu banal memory dying race historical truthfulness Hokkaidō manga |
| title | Ainu Representation in the World of Japanese Comics: Shumari and Golden Kamuy Take on the Ruling Narratives of Hokkaidō History |
| title_full | Ainu Representation in the World of Japanese Comics: Shumari and Golden Kamuy Take on the Ruling Narratives of Hokkaidō History |
| title_fullStr | Ainu Representation in the World of Japanese Comics: Shumari and Golden Kamuy Take on the Ruling Narratives of Hokkaidō History |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ainu Representation in the World of Japanese Comics: Shumari and Golden Kamuy Take on the Ruling Narratives of Hokkaidō History |
| title_short | Ainu Representation in the World of Japanese Comics: Shumari and Golden Kamuy Take on the Ruling Narratives of Hokkaidō History |
| title_sort | ainu representation in the world of japanese comics shumari and golden kamuy take on the ruling narratives of hokkaido history |
| topic | Ainu banal memory dying race historical truthfulness Hokkaidō manga |
| url | https://ojs.elte.hu/tkt/article/view/9852 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zsofiakeller ainurepresentationintheworldofjapanesecomicsshumariandgoldenkamuytakeontherulingnarrativesofhokkaidohistory |