Golden Kamuy

Via the British Museum's Twitter.

What is it?

Golden Kamuy is a weekly-published comic written by Japanese author Satoru Noda. It takes place during the early 1900s and depicts the story of fictional protagonists Sugimoto Saichi- a veteran of the Russo-Japanese war- and Asirpa, a young Ainu girl.

Noda works with Ainu consultants and goes on frequent research expeditions to make the manga accurate to history in everything from the tools the Ainu used to their language. The manga has garnered popularity from fans worldwide for its unique combination of historical insight, action, and comedy.

Impact

Golden Kamuy won the Tezuka Osamu cultural prize in 2018, a prestigious manga award. An interviewer says of the manga,

"Now Ainu culture has begun to be picked up by mass media that used to show little to no interest in it. It’s no doubt Golden Kamuy has created this situation. The driving force behind the situation must be the charming heroine named Asirpa."

Indeed, it is very rare to see any Ainu characters in popular media, let alone as the protagonist. Satoru Noda states,

"Before I began writing Golden Kamuy, I went to meet the Ainu in various places in Hokkaido. The Ainu only once told me what to do: “Please do not write about miserable Ainu, (instead) write about strong Ainu for us.” That was all."

Read the full interview with Satoru Noda here.

Golden Kamuy also headlined the British Museum's Manga Exhibition, with an illustration of Asirpa being used as the main visual.