Kunashiri

Kunashiri lies northeast of Hokkaido, across waters long travelled by Ainu fishers and traders. Japanese merchants organised fisheries here, employing Ainu workers to catch salmon and produce dried fish fertiliser. These arrangements brought goods into the island but also imposed harsh demands on its people. In 1789 Ainu on Kunashiri and in the Menashi district of Hokkaido rose against Japanese traders and officials. Grievances over mistreatment and suspicion that a leader had been poisoned helped spark the fighting. The uprising was suppressed and thirty-seven leaders were executed; although the fishery contract changed hands, Ainu labour continued to be used.