An Ainu flag was designed by Bikki Sunazawa, a Japanese sculptor of Ainu ancestry.[1][2][3]
 Vector rendering of an interpretation uploaded to Flags of the World | |
| Use | Other |
|---|---|
| Adopted | 1973 |
| Design | Blue field with white figure and red arrow |
| Designed by | Bikki Sunazawa |
Upon a repeated request from his friend, Bikki Sunazawa eventually designed the flag in 1973 – although he distanced himself from political activism seeking government support. Nevertheless, an Ainu group displayed the flag when they marched at a May Day celebration in Sapporo in the same year.[4] On rare occasions, it is still seen at Ainu functions.[5]
In 2020 Bikki's son Jin Sunazawa claimed copyright ownership and requested disuse of the flag.[6]
Description
editThe flag consists of a cerulean blue field standing for sky and sea, a white figure standing for snow, and a red arrow flying beneath Hokkaido's sky.[7] The arrow is red because of surku, the aconite poison used in traditional hunting, a way of life that was banned by the Japanese.[5] The white figure, commonly known as Bikki mon'yō, was not a traditional Ainu motif but Bikki's personal invention.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Independence movements and aspirant peoples (Japan)". Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ "ФЛАГ АЙНОВ". Геральдика.ру (in Russian). geraldika.ru. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
- ^ Irish, Ann B. (2009). Hokkaido: A History of Ethnic Transition and Development on Japan's Northern Island. McFarland & Company. p. 208. ISBN 978-0-7864-5465-5. OCLC 646854076.
- ^ Weiner, Michael (13 July 2003). Japan's Minorities: The Illusion of Homogeneity. Routledge. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-134-74442-8.
- ^ a b Dubreuil, Chisato (Kitty). "The Ainu and Their Culture: A Critical Twenty-First Century Assessment". The Asia-Pacific Journal. apjjf.org. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
- ^ Jin Sunazawa (2 October 2020). "2020 nendo Sapporo Ainu Kyōkai sōkai giansho (mushūsei) to migatte na sakujo irai" 2020年度・札幌アイヌ協会総会議案書 （無修正）と身勝手な削除依頼. Kōshin minzoku Ainu 後進民族 アイヌ. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
- ^ Minahan, James B. (1 August 2016). Encyclopedia of Stateless Nations. ABC-Clio. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-61069-954-9.
- ^ Jin Sunazawa (12 October 2020). "Bikki mon'yō wa Ainu mon'yō ni arazu! Hokkaidō Shinbun no sabetsu kiji" ビッキ紋様はアイヌ文様にあらず！北海道新聞の差別記事. Kōshin minzoku Ainu 後進民族 アイヌ. Retrieved 18 October 2020.