Shigeru Kayano was one of the last native speakers of the Ainu language and a leading figure in the Ainu ethnic movement in Japan.
11 Facts About Shigeru Kayano
2.
Shigeru Kayano was raised in poverty by his alcoholic father and devout Buddhist mother, and gained his first appreciation of Ainu culture from his grandmother, Tekatte, who would share traditional stories in Ainu with him.
3.
Shigeru Kayano's activism helped bring about the founding of the Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum in 1972.
4.
Shigeru Kayano was an acknowledged living master of the Ainu oral tradition, an expert in its folk arts and language.
5.
Shigeru Kayano led the effort to found 15 Ainu language schools.
6.
Shigeru Kayano was the first Ainu politician to sit in the Diet of Japan.
7.
Shigeru Kayano served five terms in the assembly before taking over a vacated seat in the upper house for the SDP.
8.
Shigeru Kayano's effort led to the enactment of a law to promote Ainu culture in 1997.
9.
Shigeru Kayano was known for leading the protest movement against the Nibutani Dam.
10.
Shigeru Kayano died of pneumonia at a hospital in Sapporo, Hokkaido on May 6,2006, just over a month short of his 80th birthday.
11.
Shigeru Kayano has written about 100 books about the Ainu language and culture, including 28 yukar collections.