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The
Ainu ("human") are the aborigines of
Northern Japan (parts of Tôhôku
and Hôkkaidô).
After the Japanese government settled Hokkaidô in the 1860s, Ainu
land
was confiscated, hunting and fishing rights suppressed It is believed
that the Ainu culture has developed its distintive
characters between the 8th and 14centuries. They
more closely resemble Caucasian than do Japanese, since the
men are heavily bearded and have thick wavy hair. Japanese chronicles
("Kojiki", "Nihonshoki") refer to them as
descendants of an ancient
people called Emishi.
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