We completed the ‘Itaomachip’ replica production from Oct. 26, 2020, to Jun. 24, 2021.
This Ainu boat was used for coastal voyages such as sea fishing and trade.
It was also used for voyages to continents, and it is known that there were exchanges with various peoples in a wide area.
They made holes in the sides of the dugout canoes and added boards to increase the draft and improve the load capacity and navigational performance.
They rowed on paddles called ”kaya.” They also used sails made of mats woven from cattails.
It was used until about 1900, after which it disappeared[1].
This ship was restored from 2020 to 2021 to gain a closer and deeper understanding of the history and culture of the Ainu people, as well as for the revival of technology.
The ship is 11.4m long, 1.7m wide, and 1.7 tons in weight.
The tree used as the material is a 194-year-old Sakhalin spruce, 32m tall and 1.48m in diameter, which was thinned from the Uryu Research Forest of Hokkaido University.
[1] https://www.city.sapporo.jp/shimin/pirka-kotan/jp/kogei/itaomacip/index.html, ( July 26, 2020)