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Klimov A. Matsuda Denjiro’s Service in Akkeshi from 1 of August until 31 of October 1799 (Based on “Stories about Northern Barbarians”)

Artem Klimov
National Research University “Higher School of Economics”
Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation
ORCID: 0000-0002-3461-6677
E-mail: avklimov@hse.ru

 

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ABSTRАCT. Author of “Stories about Northern barbarians” (“Hokuidan” 北夷談) is Matsuda Denjuro (松田伝十郎, 1769–1843), law ranking official of the military government (bakufu, 幕府). Chronological frameworks of the article is determined by the time of Matsuda's stay in Akkeshi, from August 1, 1799, the day of “Seitoku-maru” ship's arrival in the named port, to October 31 of the same year, when Matsuda, having finished the service in Akkeshi, arrived in Hakodate, the administrative center of the Japanese administration, for a new appointment. In 1799 he among many officials was sent to Akkeshi in the north-eastern part of Hokkaido for economic development of Ainu lands and its subsequent accession to Japan. Matsuda worked in direct contact with the indigenous population, therefore his descriptions are of great historical value and replete with many ethnographic details from everyday life of the Ainu. For better understanding the author of “Stories” appends illustrations to the text when he describes objects and events incomprehensible to the Japanese (terrain landscapes, port maps). Ainu's lands were developed not only in economic terms. We can trace by toponyms how the Ainu area names were transformed and received later hieroglyphic spellings, аnd how Ainu's space, inhabited by Ainu's deities, turned into a sacred space familiar to the Japanese. The narrative is built in chronological order, in the order in which the tasks assigned to Matsuda were completed, although dates are not always available. Upon completion of one task he moved on to another. And finally, in connection with some significant event for him, indicates the exact date. Describing his movement through the Eastern lands, in the center of which was Akkeshi, a port and one of the important administrative centers of the Ainu, he shows the infrastructure already created by the Japanese. He describes in detail how to get to one or another Ainu settlement: either by boat, or on foot along roads and paths. The author of the “Stories” lists the number of Ainu and residential buildings in each settlement he visited, gives information about the labor force in each settlement, and describes the traditions of the Ainu.

 

KEYWORDS: Matsuda Denjuro, “Stories about Northern barbarians” (“Hokuidan”), Eastern barbarian’s lands (Higashi ezochi), Akkeshi, near barbarians (kuchi ezo), distant barbarians (oku ezo), duel on club (mekka-uchi)

 

FOR CITATION: Klimov A. Matsuda Denjiro’s service in Akkeshi from 1 of August until 31 of October 1799 (based on “Stories about Northern barbarians”). Kunstkamera. 2025. 1 (27): 224–234. (In Russian). DOI: 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-1(27)-224-234

 

* The study was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project No. 20-09-00401.

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8619-2025-1(27)-224-234
UDC 39(520)

 

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