Ties that Bind: Commemorating the 35th Anniversary of the Massachusetts-Hokkaido Association

Sister States since 1990
Friends since 1876

Film Screening

"Songs of Kamui"

Feb. 28, 7pm, Seelye 201, Smith College. "Songs of Kamui" (カムイのうた)(2003) is based on the true story of Chiri Yukie (1903-1922), a young Ainu woman who worked to preserve Ainu language and folklore, publishing the first Japanese translation of an Ainu epic poem, Kamui Yukar. Directed/screenplay by Hiroshi Sugawara; Starring: Mizuki Yoshida, Ayumu Mochizuki. Film trailer.

Webinars

"Ainu Spirits Singing: The Living World of Chiri Yukie" with emerita Prof. Sarah Strong, Bates College.

March 3, 7-8pm ET. Chiri Yukie (1903-1922) was a young Ainu woman who worked to preserve Ainu language and folklore, publishing the first Japanese translation of the Ainu epic poem, Kamui Yukar. Join us for this rare opportunity to learn about Chiri Yukie’s life and traditional Ainu songs. 8:00-8:45 ET. Hiroshi Sugawara, director of the film Songs of Kamui, based on the life of Chiri Yukie, will join for a discussion on making the film.

Register here.

Yukie’s Island: My Family’s World War II Story with Co-Author/Illustrator Kōdo Kimura

Oct. 1, 7-8pm EST. The Program for Teaching East Asia and the Five College Center for East Asian Studies offers a webinar with Kōdo Kimura, co-author and illustrator author of Yukie’s Island: My Family’s World War II Story.

Kōdo Kimura and his in-law and Newbery Honor author, Steve Sheinkin, collaborated to narrate and illustrate the memories of Kōdo’s mother, Yukie Kimura, when she lived as young girl on a small island off the coast of Nemuro, Hokkaido in the last two years of World War II. Reading about Yukie’s everyday life at home, school, and play, students gain understandings of Japanese geography and cultural aspects.

In this webinar, Mr. Kimura will share his process to share his mother’s story and the experiences of island life to young readers through both text and art.

Yukie’s Island has been recognized as a Freeman Book Award 2023 Of Note, a 2024 Notable Social Studies Trade Book, and a 2024 Bank Street Best Book of the Year. 

To view the recording: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/8990223237543781376

Japanese, Russians and Ainu: Contacts before the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 with Dr. Viktor Shmagin

Jan. 28, 7-8pm EST. Join Dr. Viktor Shmagin for a fascinating look at interactions between Japanese, Russians and Ainu in Hokkaido prior to the 20th century. This webinar is part of the series of events commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Mass-Hokkaido Association.

To view the recording: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/1840480655285372676