Shiraoi

Shiraoi belongs to the southern coast of Hokkaido, where rivers, forests, and Pacific waters support resources used by Ainu communities. Salmon, marine fish, game, and gathered plants supply complementary foods, while woodland materials serve buildings, boats, and household equipment. Seasonal work links river mouths and inland resource grounds, and travel depends on local knowledge of weather and water. The landscape carries named places and social relationships that predate later Japanese administrative divisions.

In the Edo period the Matsumae domain maintained a trading establishment near the mouth of the Shiraoi River, through which it traded with Ainu people along this coast. Ainu traditions also preserve stories connected with local places such as Lake Kuttara and the Ayoro coast. These histories belong to an Indigenous homeland as well as to the changing commercial frontier of northern Japan.