People
Yoshida Kikutaro, who built the Ezo Culture Archaeological Museum
Yoshida Kikutaro (吉田菊太郎, 1896–1965) was an Ainu leader in Makubetsu. To protect what his ancestors had left, he built the Ezo Culture Archaeological Museum in 1959. The building and its collection have been passed on to today's Cirotto.
The life of Yoshida Kikutaro
- 20 July 1896Born in 白人 (Chirotto, now Senju) in Makubetsu village. His Ainu name is アリトムテ
- 1911Finishes Makubetsu Higher Elementary School and starts farming
- 1929Founds the Chirotto Kotan Kyofukai (白人古潭矯風会) and becomes its chair. Works to improve living conditions
- 1932Elected to the Makubetsu village council for the first time
- 1946Becomes an officer of the Hokkaido Ainu Association. Founds the Tokachi Ainu Association and becomes its chair
- May 1958Publishes "Ainu Bunkashi" (a cultural history of the Ainu) to raise money for building the museum
- December 1959Holds the opening ceremony of the Ezo Culture Archaeological Museum
- November 1964Receives the Hokkaido Shimbun Social and Cultural Award (北海道新聞社会文化賞)
- 8 January 1965Dies, aged 68
- 1966His family donates the building and the whole collection to the Town of Makubetsu
Sources: Town of Makubetsu, "Stories of local culture, Part 1" and "Makubetsu Ainu Cultural Exchange Center" (in Japanese)
Why he built the museum
In his later years Yoshida Kikutaro was troubled to see Ainu tools and clothing disappearing from everyday life. He decided to keep the tools and treasures his ancestors had left safe for the long term.
His aim was to hand Ainu culture on to later generations in its true form.
He raised the money by publishing a book and giving talks around the region. The building cost 2 million yen in total, and the town's grant covered 200,000 yen. The rest came from donations by municipalities, organizations and individuals. Donations came from as far away as Tokyo.
Sources: Town of Makubetsu, "Stories of local culture, Part 1" (in Japanese); Makubetsu Regional Plan for Promoting Ainu Policy (in Japanese)
The museum building and its collection
- Built
- Finished in November 1959, opened on 6 December
- Floor area
- 124.44 m² (display room and caretaker's room)
- Name
- He called the display room the "treasure hall" (宝物堂)
- Collection
- More than 1,700 items, counting tools and documents together. 231 books, 605 documents and 626 photographs
- Today
- The building was reinforced against earthquakes and kept. The collection is stored and shown in the Exhibition Hall "Ucaskuma" at Cirotto
The town describes it as one of only a few museums in Hokkaido built by Ainu people. Sources: Town of Makubetsu, "Ezo Culture Archaeological Museum"; Makubetsu Regional Plan for Promoting Ainu Policy (in Japanese)
The collection can be seen at Cirotto
The materials he collected were moved to the Exhibition Hall "Ucaskuma" at Cirotto.
The museum building still stands within the grounds of Cirotto.