Co-organized by the National Ainu Museum and the National Museum of Japanese History
Exhibition Period
National Ainu Museum:
Saturday, June 20 – Sunday, August 23
National Museum of Japanese History:
Tuesday, October 6 – Sunday, November 29
About the Exhibition
This exhibition introduces how the Ainu people have been involved in expositions over approximately 150 years, from the first display of Ainu materials at the Yushima Seidō Exposition in 1872 to Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai. Ainu displays at numerous expositions held in Japan since the Meiji period, as well as at overseas expositions, have often been remembered as part of a painful history. However, as the years passed, some people came to participate more actively and independently in these events, and the nature of expositions themselves also changed. This exhibition focuses on the “voices” of individuals connected with expositions and seeks to explore what expositions meant to each of them, carefully unraveling their joys and sorrows, experiences and memories, the social conditions of each period, and the gazes and dynamics shaped by a sense of superiority or discrimination by those involved.
Exhibition Contents
Chapter 1. From the Early Display of Ainu Crafts to Expositions
Chapter 2. The Participation of the Ainu People
Chapter 3. The Era of Presenting Ainu Culture
Chapter 4. The Future of the Ainu People and Expositions
Information
Dates
June 20, 2026 – August 23, 2026
Venue
National Ainu Museum 2F
Special Exhibition Room
Closed
Mondays *Note: The museum will be open on June 22, July 20, July 27, and August 10, but will be closed on Tuesday, July 21(Tue).
Opening hours
Opening hours follow those of UPOPOY (National Ainu Museum and Park).
For details, please refer to the UPOPOY website.
Admission
Entry to the museum is included with admission to UPOPOY National Ainu Museum and Park.
For more information, see the Admission Fees section on the UPOPOY website.
Organized by
National Ainu Museum
National Institutes for the Humanities, National Museum of Japanese History
Special Cooperation
Ainu Association of Hokkaido
