Clothes in Golden Kamuy compared to traditional Ainu wear

Kaparamip (Coat)

In Golden Kamuy characters like Asirpa are often seen wearing Attush, which are long coats typically made of deerskin, other animal fur or natural fabrics with very detailed embroidery patterns.

This is a very good depiction of the traditional Ainu Attush, which are woven from materials such as inner bark of ohyonr-ire, Japanese linden and other trees,and nettle fiber. While also being sewn together with salmon or trout skin. On the other hand they also made clothes out of seal and brown bear pelts, which were usually sewn with tufted puffin feathers.¹ Which in both cases we can see depicted in Golden Kamuy, with detailed embroidery known as “Kaparamip”. In the pictures you can that the patterns are more stylized and less intricate in the manga art.

Ainu embroidery or Kaparamip is known for its intricate and meaningful patterns. Kaparamip embroidery often features designs like spirals and other geometric patterns that are rich in cultural symbolism. These patterns are not only decorative but also carry spiritual significance, believed to offer protection and convey prayers for the wearer's safety and well-being​. It adorns various Ainu garments, such as the Attush, Kepkap, belts and sashes.²³The Ainu women traditionally crafted these garments, incorporating motifs intended to protect against evil spirits and misfortune. This practice included embroidering patterns around openings like cuffs and hems to prevent malevolent entities from entering the body.⁴

Matanpushi (headband)

In Golden Kamuy some characters wear a satoko kamiput or matanpushi, which is a type of headband made out of various materials. We can see 2 variants in Golden Kamuy, one with the embroidery and also a plain headband are both shown.

Ainu people do wear matanpushi, often made of again various natural materials including, woven fiber, cloth and leather decorated with the embroidery, beads and shells.⁵ They're narrow bands worn around the forehead, usually tied over the hair in the back or side of the head. The Matanpushi may convey messages about the wearer’s identity, status, or connections to Ainu heritage. It is worn to both to keep the hair in place and adding decorative touch to the overall Ainu outfit.

In the photo you can see a character of Golden Kamuy wearing a plain Matanpushi which typically, I would assume, would be worn for everyday use. Seeing the solid colour as a more casual wear with maybe some subtle patterns. We would think that his variation serves for their practical purposes as mentioned above, keeping their hair out of their face. You also find a photo from the manga from a more elongated matampushi with a more intricate design which are worn usually to rituals or ceremonies.⁶

Attush (kimono)

In Golden Kamuy the Ainu characters are seen wearing a Kosode, a type of kimono, typically with embroidery. Such as Inkarmat, but also in solid colours such as Asirpa. Kosode originated during the Heian period and was initially a white undergarment worn by both men and women. Over time, it evolved into a garment worn as outerwear, particularly by women of higher social status. It is characterized by it’s T-shaped structure, with wide and deep sleeves that hang loosely from the shoulders and a straight unbroken torso. It is typically ankle length and wraps around the body secured with and Obi tied around the waist. It was made out of a variety of fabrics such as silk, cotton and occasionally hemp or linen.⁷

Ainu people do wear Kosode-like garments called Attush, which are similar to Kimono but have distinct Ainu patterns and designs. It has been worn by both men and women for centuries as a fundamental piece of their traditional attire. It typically consists of a long, straight-sleeved robe with a wrap-around design, secured with a sash or belt tied around the waist. Traditional Attush are made from natural materials such as bark and nettle fibre, cloth or the skins of animals like deer or salmon. The choice of material may vary depending on availability and regional traditions. Same as the Matampushi and Kaparamip it was decorated with the Ainu embroidery.⁸Simple attush were more for daily use while the ones wiht a more intricate design were mostly used for ceremonies or special occasions. Because of this they were highly valued and rarely worn throughout the year.⁹

Footwear

In Golden kamuy characters are typically shown wearing boots or simple footwear suitable for the rugged terrain of Hokkaido. In addition to those boots we can also see them wearing snowshoes. They are made from a special vine and sometimes wood pegs to break through ice and hard snow. ¹⁰

This is a quite good representation to what the Ainu wear for footwear. The boots were usually made out of fur from animals they hunted such as seals or salmon skin. The seal fur boots were usually worn during the harsh winters since the material was light, hard-wearing, and water restitant. ¹¹ On the other hand salmon skin was also a very popular material for footwear. This with the reason that salmon skins were really good to create a slip-resitant base to walk on. To keep the feet warm they would put birch root which ties around the ankle. During colder times were rice plant fodder also used. ¹²

As you can see in the picture, the boots Asirpa is wearing our made out of fur, while on the other hand the picture of the real boots, depicting Ainu shoes, are made out of salmon skin, with on the inside some kind of insolation to keep the feet warm. It was certainly not uncommon to have boots made out fur like Asirpa, although hers more stylized.

In conclusion we could say that Golden Kamuy offers a stylized portrayal of Ainu clothing. It does capture some of the key elements of traditional Ainu attire, such as the use of Ainu embroidery and natural materials like animal skins and bark fibre. On the other hand making it look more stylish and using other kind of patterns, clothing pieces in the mix, which gives it more of a modern twist.

Afbeelding 1: https://diluo.digital.conncoll.edu/Asianart/exhibition/understanding-cultures-through-clothing-ainu-attush-and-salmon-clothing/

Afbeelding 2: https://mangafire.to/manga/golden-kamuy2.xvp23

Afbeelding 3: https://mangafire.to/manga/golden-kamuy2.xvp23

Afbeelding 4: https://www.gov-online.go.jp/eng/publicity/book/hlj/html/202212/202212_04_en.html

Afbeelding 5: https://mangafire.to/manga/golden-kamuy2.xvp23

Afbeelding 6: https://mangafire.to/manga/golden-kamuy2.xvp23

Afbeelding 7: https://ee0r.com/blog-new/tag/kosode/

Afbeelding 8: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%AFnous_%28ethnie_du_Japon_et_de_Russie%29

Afbeelding 9: https://mangafire.to/manga/golden-kamuy2.xvp23

Afbeelding 10: https://mangafire.to/manga/golden-kamuy2.xvp23

Afbeelding 11: Afbeelding 11: https://livingobjectsgallery.com/shop/archive/ainu-snowshoes-atw308/