Hokkaido: A History of Ethnic Transition and Development on Japan's Northern Island

by Ann B. Irish

Japanese people have lived on the country's other three main islands--Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku--for many centuries, but ethnic Japanese, or Wajin, began coming to Hokkaido in large numbers only in the latter half of the nineteenth century. This book tells the story of Japan's aboriginal people, the Ainu, followed by that of foreign explorers and ethnic Japanese pioneers. The book pays close attention to the Japanese-Russian conflicts over the island, including Cold War confrontations and more recent clashes over fishing rights and the Hokkaido-administered islands seized by the U.S.S.R. in 1945.

Genres: History, Japan, Nonfiction

378 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

My next book, It's Always Uphill from the Dock, will now be released in Spring 2020.

Reviews

[Eskil · Rating 4 out of 5]

You'll be hard pressed to find a non-academic book as exhaustive as this. It's very dense, and I can't find any glaring flaws.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scholarly book about the origins, culture, people, and development of Hokkaido. It is a well researched book by an American author, who connects the dots of its history in the context of Japan and foreigners who contributed to the island.