THE A1N0S OF YEZO, JAPAN. 483 



the two peoples are so surprisingly different in character and in their 

 ways of thinking. 



The mythologies of the Japanese and Ainos are essentially distinct. 

 After eliminating from the latter numerous stories, which are obviously 

 imitations or adaptations of Chinese or Japanese tales, there remains a 

 totally distinct series of narratives, handed down verbally from an un- 

 known source and perhaps from a very distant age. 



The mythology of the Japanese is a remarkable development of an- 

 cestral worship. The Mikado traces his descent to the sun, the common 

 ancestor of the Japanese people. The system treats of the exploits of 

 gods and heroes, the latter being elevated to places among the kamui to 

 be revered and worshiped. There is scarcely a moral teaching in it. 

 It is a kind of hero worship, but the hero may be a very wicked sinner. 



The Aino myths, on the other hand, usually have a moral application. 

 The Ainos have but few great heroes. The subjects of their tales are 

 mostly beasts and birds. These are the gods of the Ainos, as well as 

 the actors in his fairy-land. It would extend this report to an undue 

 length to reproduce all the stories translated by Professor Chamberlain, 

 Dr. Scheube and Mr. Batchelor, but some of them may well be given to 

 indicate their general character. Dr. Scheube has given three quite 

 interesting tales concerning the Japanese hero Yoshitsune, who is sup- 

 posed to have visited the Ainos in the twelfth century, and to have 

 taught them various useful things. There is also a strange story of a 

 Japanese girl who was disobedient. Her father put her into a box and 

 threw it into the sea. It was borne northward by wind and wave, and 

 finally landed in Yezo, where the town Ishikari now stands. A dog 

 came along and broke open the box with his teeth. The maiden was 

 still alive. As she saw the dog she said to herself, " I have been dis- 

 obedient to my father at home, therefore I have fared so badly. Here 

 where there are only dogs I must obey them that I may not again be 

 punished. Iu my earlier stage of existence it was predestined that I 

 should marry a dog." So she married the dog and the two lived happily 

 together, and she brought forth a child whoso body was covered with 

 long black hair, and other hairy children. These were the first Ainos. 

 It is doubtful whether this is an Aino legend. It is more probably of 

 Japanese origin. 



The following stories are selected from the translations of Prof. 

 B. H. Chamberlain and Mr. J. Batchelor : 



HOW IT WAS SETTLED WHO SHOULD 11ULE THE WORLD. 



By Professor Chamberlain. 



Wheu the creator had finished creating this world of men, the good and the bad 

 gods were all mixed together promiscuously, aud began disputing for the possession 

 of the world. They disputed — the bad gods wanting to be at the head of the gov- 

 ernment of this world and the good gods haviug a similar desire. So the following 

 arrangement was agreed to: Whoever, at the time of sunrise, should be the first to 



