the ainos of yezo, japan. 



487 



some sake" in the evening 1 . On returning to my hotel I ordered the 

 sake to be sent to them, but the Japanese neglected to attend to it. 

 Consequently when I went to photograph them the next day, just as I 

 was about to take a picture of two old persons, the chief called out from 

 a distance and my subjects turned away. I induced them to pose once 

 more, wheu the burly chief came on a run, forcibly threw his offending 

 subjects on either side and turned to me with fire in his eye and some 

 very strong language, no doubt, of which I could not understand one 

 word. 1 thought he would smash my camera, and he might easily have 

 thrown me into the sea. However, by degrees he cooled down and 

 finally he stood for his own picture in a pose of his own, neither grace- 

 ful nor elegant. But he came on me like a type of a fierce high-tem pered 

 savage, such as I do not care to eucouuter again. 



There is an account of the Ainos of six or seven centuries ago, which 

 tallies well with the supposition that they were once a warlike people. 

 It is from a report of Mr. Henry S. Munroe, and relates to the discovery 

 of gold in Yezo. According to the Japanese tradition, a party of 

 Japanese in the second year of Genkiu went to Yezo and remained there 

 13 years washing for gold. The account goes on to say : "At this time 

 the Ainos were a very savage and warlike race and gave the gold- 

 washers no little trouble. Finally after a desperate battle, the Ainos 

 became masters of the field, killing the whole party of Japanese with 

 the exception of the priest. * * * The Ainos emboldened by the 

 victory, crossed the straits in large force and made vigorous war on 

 the Japanese." 



AINO POPULATION. 



In an article published in the Japan "Mail" of January 20, 188S, Mr. 

 John Batchelor has given the following statistics of the Aino population 

 of Yezo for four successive years. His figures are as follows : 



Aiv o population in Yezo. 



Tear. 



Males. 



Females. 



Total. 



1882 



8,546 



8,652 



17, 198 



1883 



8,554 



8, 59G 



17, 150 



1884 



9,051 



8,776 



17, 827 



1885 



7,900 



8,003 



15, 963 



The cause of the decrease in 1885 is not explained. It amounts to 

 1,864 and includes 1,151 males and 713 females. I am disposed to 

 regard it as an error in the returns, not at all impossible in Japanese 

 methods. In the course of my own travels I endeavored to obtain 

 definite information concerning the population, not with the view of 

 learning the total number of Ainos in Yezo, which could only be done 

 by visiting all parts of the island, but for the purpose of enabling 

 future travellers to know where the largest settlements are to be found. 



