Imekanu
Encyclopedia
, also known by her Japanese name of , was an Ainu
missionary
and epic poet
.
in Iburi subprefecture
, Hokkaidō
(Japan
). She began to learn her repertoire of Ainu poetry from her mother, Monashinouku, a seasoned teller of Ainu tales who spoke very little Japanese. Converted to Christianity, Imekanu worked for many years for the Episcopal Church
as a lay missionary under John Batchelor
, well known for his publications on Ainu language and culture. Batchelor introduced Imekanu to Kindaichi Kyōsuke, the greatest Japanese scholar in this field, in 1918. After 1926, having retired from missionary work, Imekanu began to write down epics (yukar
) known to her from Ainu tradition and continued to do so until her death.
These texts in the Horobetsu dialect of Ainu amounted to 20,000 pages in 134 volumes. 72 of these volumes were destined for Kindaichi and 52 volumes for Imekanu's nephew Chiri Mashiho, a researcher specializing in Ainu linguistics.
Chiri Yukie, Imekanu's niece and Chiri Mashiho's sister, grew up with Monashinouku and Imekanu and learned from them the skill of Ainu epic. She wrote down thirteen epics from this tradition, translated them into Japanese, and prepared a bilingual edition which appeared in 1923, the first publication of Ainu traditional literature by an Ainu author. Three of these epics later appeared in English translation, alongside works by others, in Donald L. Philippi's Songs of Gods, Songs of Humans (1979).
Kindaichi published Imekanu's version of the epic Kutune Shirka
, alongside a version by Nabesawa Wakarpa, with commentary, in his two-volume study of the Ainu yukar
in 1931. He published a seven-volume collection of Imekanu's epics, with his own Japanese translations, in 1959-1966.
Ainu people
The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and epic poet
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
.
Life and work
Imekanu belonged to an Ainu family of HorobetsuNoboribetsu, Hokkaido
is a city in Iburi subprefecture, Hokkaidō, Japan. Part of Shikotsu-Toya National Park, it is southwest of Sapporo, west of Tomakomai and northeast of Hakodate. The name, Noboribetsu, derives from an Ainu word, nupur-pet, which means dark-coloured river....
in Iburi subprefecture
Iburi Subprefecture
is a subprefecture of Hokkaidō, Japan.- Geography :Located in south-central Hokkaido, Iburi stretches East-West and North-South. Iburi covers an area of . Iburi borders Oshima subprefecture to the West, Shiribeshi, Ishikari, and Sorachi subprefectures to the North, and Hidaka subprefecture to the...
, Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
(Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
). She began to learn her repertoire of Ainu poetry from her mother, Monashinouku, a seasoned teller of Ainu tales who spoke very little Japanese. Converted to Christianity, Imekanu worked for many years for the Episcopal Church
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
as a lay missionary under John Batchelor
John Batchelor (missionary)
Rev. John Batchelor was an English missionary in Japan, leaving in 1941. He lived amongst the Ainu people and published works on their language and culture....
, well known for his publications on Ainu language and culture. Batchelor introduced Imekanu to Kindaichi Kyōsuke, the greatest Japanese scholar in this field, in 1918. After 1926, having retired from missionary work, Imekanu began to write down epics (yukar
Yukar
are Ainu sagas that form a long rich tradition of oral literature. In older periods the epics were performed by both men and women; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, when Ainu culture was in decline, women were generally the most skillful performers....
) known to her from Ainu tradition and continued to do so until her death.
These texts in the Horobetsu dialect of Ainu amounted to 20,000 pages in 134 volumes. 72 of these volumes were destined for Kindaichi and 52 volumes for Imekanu's nephew Chiri Mashiho, a researcher specializing in Ainu linguistics.
Chiri Yukie, Imekanu's niece and Chiri Mashiho's sister, grew up with Monashinouku and Imekanu and learned from them the skill of Ainu epic. She wrote down thirteen epics from this tradition, translated them into Japanese, and prepared a bilingual edition which appeared in 1923, the first publication of Ainu traditional literature by an Ainu author. Three of these epics later appeared in English translation, alongside works by others, in Donald L. Philippi's Songs of Gods, Songs of Humans (1979).
Kindaichi published Imekanu's version of the epic Kutune Shirka
Kutune Shirka
The , known in Japanese as or simply is a sacred yukar epic of the native Ainu people of Japan. The Ainu title refers to a magic sword wielded by the story's protagonist. It is one of the most important, if not the most important, piece of Ainu literature...
, alongside a version by Nabesawa Wakarpa, with commentary, in his two-volume study of the Ainu yukar
Yukar
are Ainu sagas that form a long rich tradition of oral literature. In older periods the epics were performed by both men and women; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, when Ainu culture was in decline, women were generally the most skillful performers....
in 1931. He published a seven-volume collection of Imekanu's epics, with his own Japanese translations, in 1959-1966.