Cenotaph for Sakhalin Ainu
Cenotaph specifically memorializing the Sakhalin, Russia roots of the Ainu people in Japan. Located in the city of Ishikari Hachiman cemetary.
The Ainu people are the indigenous people of Japan. The Ainu, led by Shakushain, unsuccessfully revolted against the Japanese samurai in the middle of the 17th century. The people are native to Hokkaido, or the northern most island of Japan. Though only 24,000 Ainu remain today, they finally received official recognition as an indigenous people by the Japanese government in 2019.
The cenotaph appears to be made of granite, standing about 5 feet tall and 3 feed wide. Like any other cemetery stone, the cenotaph is engraved with writing that describes the Sakhalin roots of the Ainu people. Unlike Porotokokan (Ainu musemum) which is on the southeastern corner of the Hokkaido island, this memorial is located on the western coast of the island, closer to the Sakhalin island (now part of Russia).
