{"id":46,"date":"2026-03-09T18:53:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T09:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ainu-upopoy.go.jp\/?page_id=46"},"modified":"2026-05-09T14:55:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T05:55:08","slug":"character","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ainu-upopoy.go.jp\/en\/character\/","title":{"rendered":"Upopoy mascot, TureppoN"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Upopoy mascot, TureppoN<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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TureppoN is a turep<\/i> (giant lily bulb ) girl.
She lived in the soil when she was little. When she’s grown up, she’ll turn into irup<\/i> (starch) and delicious food.
TureppoN enjoys life at a slower pace. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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How did TureppoN get her name?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Turep<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Turep means \u201cthe bulb of a giant lily\u201d (Cardiocrinum cordatum var. glehnii) in the Ainu language. A perennial in the Cardiocrinum genus of lily, the giant lily is native to the forests of Hokkaido and northern Honshu.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

po<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the Ainu language, po is added to the end of a word to indicate that something is small.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

N<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Japanese, cuteness is often indicated by adding an \u201cn\u201d to the end of a word. TureppoN\u2019s name has a capital N because she\u2019s VERY cute!<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What is TureppoN holding? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Turep-akam<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Turep-akam is a disc-shaped cake made from turep. TureppoN hands them out to any hungry people she meets.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Turep <\/em>stem<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

TureppoN uses this very long stem as a walking stick. When the round putput (seed pods) on the stem turn brown, she scatters seeds on the ground to grow new friends.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Giant lilies <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Turep<\/em> (giant lily bulb) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Giant lilies can take almost ten years to grow from bulb to flower. The number of leaves increases each year as the plant draws nutrients from the soil. If the conditions are good, the plant will use these nutrients to flower and produce seed pods.
You can tell whether a giant lily plant is young or whether it will flower this year by how the leaves are growing.
Turep is the Ainu word for the bulb of this plant, where all of the nutrients are stored. Along with salmon and deer, this was a valuable source of food for the Ainu, and the starch extracted from it can be used to make non-perishable foods. Turep is also used as medicine.
The picking season and processing methods vary depending on the region. In Shiraoi, bulbs are collected in June or July and made into starch. The fiber is fermented, then dried and stored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sources
Chiri, Mashiho (1976). Chiri Mashiho Chosaku Sh\u016bbunrui Ainu Jiten: Shokubutsuhen\/D\u014dbutsuhen [Mashiho Chiri Classified Dictionary of the Ainu Language: Plants and Animals]. Tokyo: Heibonsha.
Muraki, Miyuki (1996). (Zai) Ainu Minzoku Hakubutsukan Kenky\u016b H\u014dkoku [Ainu Museum Research Report] (5:27-38). Shiraoi Chih\u014d Ni Okeru \u014cubayuri No Kak\u014d Shori Oyobi Sono Riy\u014dh\u014d [Processing and Use of Giant Lilies in the Shiraoi Area]. Ainu Museum Foundation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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June <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The leaves of young plants protrude from the soil.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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June<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Mature plants extend thick stems from the ground with leaves attached. The stems grow to a length of 1 – 1.5m before the flower buds appear. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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July <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Between 5 and 20 flowers grow horizontally, with a length of 12cm and diameter of 6cm. The flowering period lasts for 5 days. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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August <\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Seeds are scattered from the pods by the wind. The bulbs underground wither during the winter, but some small bulbs may remain. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Click below to learn more (Japanese only) <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Catch TureppoN on YouTube! <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

TureppoN is excited to show us her favorite things about Upopoy. You might even see an unexpected side of her! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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