Ainu craft school aims to pass on culture to students

KUSHIRO, HOKKAIDO –

Students in the inaugural class of an Ainu craft school in Hokkaido are set to graduate soon, after completing their training to acquire skills of the Indigenous ethnic group.

At Akan Ainu Craft Center Harikiki, which opened in May 2024 on the banks of Lake Akan in the city of Kushiro, local craftspeople work to foster their successors. They are teaching traditional techniques, such as wood carving and embroidering, to students, including young people, who come from Hokkaido and other parts of the country.

Harikiki means “hardworking” in the Ainu language. A total of eight people — four in the inaugural class, who joined the school in 2024, and four in the second class, who enrolled in 2025 — are now studying five days a week.