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Shigeru Kayano

かやの しげる

Kayano Shigeru

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1926-06-15 （Nibutani, Biratori (Saru District), Hokkaido, Japan）
Died
2006-05-06 （Higashi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan） age 79
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Ainu, Japanese
Residence History
Nibutani, Biratori (Saru District), Hokkaido, Japan → Higashi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

Career

Occupations
Ainu cultural researcher, Politician, Museum director, Author, Radio presenter
Active Years
1953-2006
Affiliations
Director, Kayano Shigeru Nibutani Ainu Museum, Hokkaido University, Faculty of Letters (Lecturer)
Memberships
Hokkaido Ainu Association, International Indigenous Peoples' Network
Influenced By
Kyōsuke Kindaichi, ,
Influenced
Shirō Kayano, Numerous researchers and activists in Ainu cultural preservation and transmission

Education

The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)
Degree: 博士（学術）
Year of Graduation: 2001
Country: Japan
Doctoral thesis: 'Study of kamui-sending rituals among the Ainu — focusing on the Saru River basin'.

Awards

Kikuchi Kan Prize
1975
Work: Uepekere Anthology (Collected Ainu Tales)
Organization: Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Hokkaido Cultural Encouragement Award
1978
Organization: Hokkaido Prefecture
Result: 受賞
Yoshikawa Eiji Cultural Prize
1989
Organization: Yoshikawa Eiji Cultural Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Hokkaido Cultural Award
1993
Organization: Hokkaido Prefecture
Result: 受賞
Mainichi Publishing Culture Award
1998
Work: Kayano Shigeru's Ainu Mythology Collection
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Award
1999
Work: Kayano Shigeru's Ainu Mythology Collection
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs (Japan)
Result: 受賞
Hokkaido Shimbun Cultural Award
2000
Organization: Hokkaido Shimbun
Result: 受賞
Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class
2001
Category: 勲章
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Uepekere Anthology (Collected Ainu Tales)

1974 Folklore collection

A collected and annotated anthology of Ainu folktales (uepekere), an important work for recording and preserving oral literature.

FolktalesOral literatureYukar (Ainu epic)

Kayano Shigeru's Ainu Mythology Collection

1998 Mythology collection

A comprehensive 10-volume collection of Ainu myths, compiled with accompanying CDs and video, assembling extensive materials and recordings.

MythologyRitualsOral tradition

Kayano Shigeru's Ainu Language Dictionary

1996 Dictionary

A dictionary of Ainu compiled mainly from his own vocabulary, an important resource for preservation and education of the Ainu language.

Language preservationLexicography

A Monument to the Ainu (Ainu no Hi)

1980 Essays / Record

Essays and records on Ainu history, culture, and contemporary issues. An English edition titled 'Our Land Was a Forest' was published.

HistoryCultural documentation
Translations
  • Our Land Was a Forest (English translation, 1993)

Ainu Language Resounds in the Diet

1997 Essays / Record

A record of his political activities, the significance of using the Ainu language in the Diet, and related experiences.

PoliticsLanguage rightsCultural promotion

Bibliography

  • Uepekere Anthology (Collected Ainu Tales)
  • The Fox's Charanke
  • The Wind God and Okikurmi
  • The Adventures of Okikurmi
  • The Carved Wolf
  • My Nibutani
  • Chise A Kara: Reconstructing an Ainu House
  • Horse of Fire
  • Ainu Tools and Artifacts
  • Photo Collection: Ainu
  • A Monument to the Ainu / Our Land Was a Forest (English)
  • The Romance of the Bear God
  • Living in Nibutani
  • Kamuy Yukar and Folktales
  • Easy Ainu (2 volumes)
  • Our Land Was a Forest (English edition, 1993)
  • My Wife Was Borrowed
  • Kayano Shigeru's Ainu Language Dictionary
  • Ainu Language Resounds in the Diet
  • Ainu Mythology Collection (10 volumes)
  • Passing on Ainu Culture
  • The Ainu - A Story of Japan's Original People (English edition, 2004)
  • The Ainu and the Fox (English edition, 2006)

Adaptations

  • Film 'Ainu Wedding' (dir. Tadashi Himeta)
  • Film 'Chise A Kara (We Build Our House)'
  • Film 'Iyomante: Sending Off the Bear'

Translations of Works

  • Our Land Was a Forest (English translation of 'Ainu no Hi', 1993)
  • The Ainu - A Story of Japan's Original People (2004, English edition)
  • The Ainu and the Fox (2006, English edition)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Reconstructive recording of oral traditionDocumentary style emphasizing collection and annotationExpository narration with ethnographic and historical perspective
Recurring Motifs
BearFoxNature and local environmentMyth and ritualTransmission of tradition

Health

  • Parkinson's disease
    2000年代頃〜2006年
    In later years he suffered from Parkinson's disease and died in 2006 after developing acute pneumonia while hospitalized. Though his activities were constrained in later life, his work for cultural preservation continued.

Legacy

Shigeru Kayano devoted his life to recording, preserving and promoting Ainu culture and language. Through founding the Nibutani Ainu Museum, compiling dictionaries and myth collections, and using the Ainu language in the Diet, he made major contributions to recognition and cultural revival of the Ainu people.

Museums

  • Kayano Shigeru Nibutani Ainu Museum Nibutani, Biratori (Saru District), Hokkaido, Japan Opened in 1972

Academic Societies

  • Hokkaido University (involved as lecturer)

Archives

  • Kayano Shigeru Nibutani Ainu Museum (archival holdings)
  • National Diet Library (holds his publications)
  • Hokkaido Research Center for Ainu Culture (related holdings)

In Popular Culture

  • Featured in documentary films by Tadashi Himeta (e.g., 'Ainu Wedding', 'Chise A Kara', 'Iyomante: Sending Off the Bear')
  • Ainu language radio programs (STV radio Ainu language course, FM Pipausi) promoting the language
  • Biographical documentaries produced/broadcast by NHK and HTB

Quotes

  • People (hunting peoples) return to their homeland before their feet grow dark.
    Source: Remark upon retirement from the Diet (1998) (1998)

Trivia

  • First Ainu member of the National Diet (assumed office by succession in August 1994)
  • Founded the Nibutani Ainu Museum in 1972 and served as its director
  • Collected 1,121 artifacts over 50 years that were designated Important Tangible Folk Cultural Properties
  • Awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Third Class in 2001
  • Died in 2006 from complications after suffering from Parkinson's disease