Study of Ains in Japan by John Batcheler

Abstract

This article represents the everyday life and work of the British missionary John Batchelor, the
founder of Ainu studies. In his mature years, John Batchelor (1854-1944) moved to Japan, where he studied the
origins, traditions, religious beliefs, and culture of the Ainu. Born in England, Batchelor professes Christianity,
so he decides to go to the Hakodate Anglican Church in Hokkaido, Japan. Having started his missionary activity
in this country, John masters the local Japanese and Ainu languages. Thus, a missionary settled in Hokkaido
studied the daily life of the Ainu assimilated by the Japanese. As a result, he opens the Airui-Gakkou school for
the Ainu, and is working on the book «Japan’s Ainu». As a result, the Hokkaido Government Office publishes
the Ainu-English-Japanese Dictionary at its own expense. Then a translation of the New Testament is published.
In his book In the Footsteps of the Ainu, John says that the Ainu language has fallen into disuse and has become
obsolete as the Japanese have replaced it. He also collects interesting materials and describes different stories
from the everyday history life of the Ainu in his work «The Life and Education of the Ainu», published in
English.
Returning to England, D. Batchelor completes his fourth edition of the Aino-English-Japanese Dictionary.
When Japan- United Kingdom relations began to escalate, John decided to leave Japan. Thus, his missionary
activity smoothly flows into research. He spends his whole life in Japan, fighting for the rights and freedom of
the Ainu people. In addition, the article discusses the circumstances that prompted Batchelor to study the Ainu.
Later, his «English-Ainu» dictionary becomes an indispensable basis for many Japanese and foreign linguists.
An important role in the fate of the Ainu was played by the book «Ainu and Folklore». As a result, the problem
of the Ainu became known to the whole world, the people were taken under the care of the UN. The article also
included direct statements by D. Batchelor, a critic of the linguist-anthropologist Chiri Mashiho.