472 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1890. 



are each year utilized for the same purpose. The true salmou is also 

 abundant on the coast. The fisheries of Yezo are too valuable to be 

 conducted in the present careless aud wasteful manner, and by proper 

 government control might readily become a great source of wealth to 

 Japan. 



BOATS. 



The ordinary river boats or canoes are dugouts. A common form is 

 shown in Plate CX, from Tokoro on the north. A different form from 

 Urap is represented in Plate cxi. The dimensions of a dugout at Tesi- 

 kaga, a small village far up the Kusuri River, were as follows: 



Width of ends inches.. 11 



Width of middle do.... 28 



Length, ahout feet. .. 26 



This boat was made of a single log, with considerable sheer at the 

 ends. 



Boats intended for rough water are often built with dugout logs for 

 the bottom, and a free-board of considerable height made of planks 

 bound on with bark lashings. Many of the large fishing boats are made 

 in this manner and they are exceedingly strong. They measure per- 

 haps 50 feet in length and 10 feet beam, with a great sheer, especially 

 in front. 



RELIGION. 



The Aino religion is a very primitive nature-worship. The gods are 

 invisible, formless conceptions, known as Icamui, such as the house god, 

 the god of fire, and the deities of mountain, forest, sea, aud river. 

 The sun and moon occupy a subordinate position among them. There 

 are no priests nor temples, but within every house there is one corner 

 sacred to the house-god. The god of fire, who is esteemed highest of all, 

 is worshiped at the fire-place in the middle of the room. The others 

 receive their due at the nusha kamui, or sacred hedge (PI. cxn), which 

 will be described in the account of the bear feast further on. It might 

 naturally be supposed that this rude structure of branches and poles 

 represents what was originally a hedge or fence built around the house 

 for protection against the inroads of wild beasts, or possibly against 

 enemies. The skulls of bears aud foxes may have originally been placed 

 upon the hedge as charms against evil. All this, however, is purely 

 speculative; but there is a picture in Mr. Greey's book, " The Bear Wor- 

 shipers of Yezo" (p. 105), representing a house of rather unusual form, 

 which is shown to be protected on at least three sides by a rude sort of 

 fence, such as may well be regarded as an early counterpart of the nusha 

 Icamui. 



In addition to the sacred hedge, upon which the bear and fox skulls 

 are displayed, there is a smaller hedge, before which the hulls of food- 



