I live in Hakodate, and last spring I cycled down to Matsumae village. It has the only real castle in Hokkaido still standing, and no doubt a fair bit of history about the colonisation of Hokkaido - of which I was fairly ignorant at the time.

Note that ainu inhabited the far southern islands too, and possibly shared common ancestors, hence Mugen's affinity with the song Okuru was playing. It seems a bit contrived that Okuru would have successfully travelled so far though... but I suppose the series does take pains to distance itself from historical accuracy =)

Anyway, it's interesting to see the links with my current location and the latest ep.

I'll just add to this thread, rather than starting another one. As promised in the pre-ep ntoes, here are a mess of links and some small details regarding the historical elements in episodes 16 & 17, "Lullabies of the Lost".

The Ghost of Yoshitsune

In the mid-to-late twelfth century, Minamoto Yoshitshune and his half-brother Minamoto Yorimoto were successful military leaders who participated in the overthrow of Taira Kiyomori's dictatorship. However, Yorimoto became suspicious of his brother's military success, and Yoshitshune was eventually forced to rebel against him. Legend says that he fled into the forests and was trained in martial arts by the King of the Tengu. After losing most of his followers and being forced into a position where he would have to surrender, Yoshitsune committed suicide, but not until he had killed his young wife and daughter.

Years later, Yorimoto died from injuries suffered when he fell from his horse. Legend says that the ghost of the betrayed Yoshitsune startled Yorimoto's horse and caused his demise.

For a great read on the military and political history of Minamoto Yoshitsune and Yorimoto, go to:

http://www.samurai-archives.com/yoshitsune.html

The Matsumae-Han and the Ainu

The Ainu people, who are indigenous to many of the islands that now make up Japan, lived through many experiences that will sound familiar to Americans who know Native American history. For an excellent encapsulated view of the Ainu plight, visit:

http://nativenet.uthscsa.edu/archive/nl/9304/0031.html

Recently, some movement to attempt to preserve Ainu culture and the now nearly lost language of the Ainu has come to the forefront in Japan. An interesting discussion of the Ainu language and some details on the genetic/geographic/cultural origins of the Ainu can be found here:

http://homepage3.nifty.com/tommy1949/Aynu.htm

This page at Japan-Guide.com shows the resemblance between the drawings of Okuru's village and traditional Ainu architecture:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2244.html

Considerable information is available regarding the period of time during which the Matsumae family controlled the Hokkaido region and participated in the unification of newly-settled parts of Japan. From http://www.hikyaku.com/dico/histxtg24.html:

Ainu Music in 16 and 17

I've been poking around to find out more about the music in 16 and 17.

The vocalist who performs the song playing when Okuru goes to his village is named Umeko Ando. The album is IHUNKE and I believe the song is number 1, Pekambe Uk. Ando has received an Ainu Cultural Promotion Award and is an acclaimed instrumentalist as well as a vocalist.
Umeko Ando biography

The tonkori player Oki performs the song that Okuru plays. The album is the remastered version of his debut, KAMUY KOR NUPURPE, and the tracks used are #10 and 13, "SUSURIUKA(Willow Bridge)" and "UCHAORE(Communication)."

Both albums are on the Chikar Studio label and can be ordered in English here .

Information about the artists and the tonkori can be found on the Chikar Studio information page.

An interesting side note is that Oki's Ainu name is Chikar.

Those who pay close attention to the credits (and who were not distracted by our karaoke ) will note that the artist cgnoir refers to is mentioned - the episode is dedicated to Umeko Ando.

Thanks, cowgirl, for the additional info!

You're totally right! I thought that name looked familiar, but I couldn't figure out why.
That solves yet another Champloo puzzle.

I'm new here - have to say I'm really impressed with the job AF-F and the posters here are doing.

Thought I'd chip in with some more background info on the Ainu.
The picture above was taken in Akan, Hokkaido. Every year Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido, Japan's most northerly island, gather for the Marimo Festival. They offer rice wine to the gods before taking part in a ceremony to take from the lake, and then return, the marimo - a green algae the Ainu consider sacred.