Nemuro Bay

Nemuro Bay belongs to the eastern Hokkaido coastal world, where cold waters, lagoons, wetlands, and low shores offered varied resources. Ainu communities used fish, sea mammals, birds, and inland products within a seasonal economy. Boats connected settlements and neighboring coasts, while winds, fog, and currents required careful local knowledge. The region faced routes toward the Kuril Islands beyond the immediate bay.

From about the sixteenth century, Ainu in the Nemuro region traded furs, including sea otter pelts, with Japanese merchants. Over time, trading arrangements gave way to harsher demands for Ainu labour. In 1789, Ainu in Kunashiri and the Menashi region rose against Japanese rule. The uprising caused deaths on both sides, and the Matsumae domain executed 37 Ainu at Nokkamappu on the Nemuro Peninsula.