Ainu Past and Present: The Legacy of Neil Gordon Munro's Film

In conjunction with the exhibition , Japan House London presents in collaboration with the Royal Anthropological Institute (RAI) a rare screening of Ainu Past and Present: The Legacy of Neil Gordon Munro’s Film, a documentary which attempts a critical study of Neil Gordon Munro's photographs and films in Hokkaido in the early 20th century.

Scottish physician, anthropologist and writer Dr Neil Gordon Munro dedicated the last years of his life to raising awareness of Ainu culture. He was born in Edinburgh in 1863 and after studying medicine soon began travelling in Asia, first in India and then in Japan. In addition to medicine, he was interested in archaeology, particularly that of prehistoric Japan. His studies gradually shifted to Ainu culture, and he spent his later years - from 1932 to 1942 - in Nibutani, Hokkaido, where he continued his research and provided free medical services to Ainu patients.

His documents and the artefacts he collected are displayed or archived in several institutions including the British Museum, the Pitt Rivers Museum, National Museums Scotland, the Royal Anthropological Institute, the Historical Museum of Hokkaido, and the National Museum of Japanese History, which possesses photographic negatives of Ainu ceremonies, artefacts and people taken by Munro, as well as the 35-mm film of The Ainu Bear Ceremony, a record of the iyomante festival in Nibutani (screened at Japan House London in an edited version by RAI in February 2024).

Made between 2005 and 2006 by Professor Uchida Junko and members of the National Museum of Japanese History (Rekihaku) with the assistance of Tokyo Cinema Inc, Ainu Past and Present seeks to clarify Munro's intentions in directing and producing The Ainu Bear Ceremony. The copy in the collection of the National Museum of Japanese History is listed as the original, although it has been edited, and no critical study of the film had ever been conducted before. This documentary aims to trace the history behind the film, with reference to documents left by Munro (the film itself, photographs, letters, and interviews) and to consider the impact of Munro's records on present-day Ainu traditions.

The screening is English and in Japanese with English subtitles. Duration: approx. 102 minutes .

The exhibition Ainu Stories: Contemporary Lives by the Saru River is on display in the Gallery at Japan House London from 16 November 2023 until 21 April 2024.

Please note that filming and photography may take place at this event. Photos and footage of the event may then be used to promote Japan House London, helping more people to discover what we offer. If you have any concerns, please or contact a member of the team on site.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Japan House London, 101 - 111 Kensington High Street, London, United Kingdom