Symposium Commemorating the 330th Anniversary of the Korean Castaways' Arrival: An Encounter Between the Ainu and Korea Around the Northern Seas

About this event

The "Symposium Commemorating the 330th Anniversary of the Korean Castaways' Arrival: An Encounter Between the Ainu and Korea Around the Northern Seas," held at the National Ainu Museum on Sunday, September 13, 2026, is a valuable opportunity to reconsider this historical event from multiple angles on the 330th anniversary of the 1696 drift incident involving Yi Ji-hang and other Koreans. This symposium explores the significance of this castaway incident through diverse perspectives such as Japan-Korea relations, regional society in Hokkaido, Ainu trade, and cultural exchange. Researchers from Japan and abroad will gather to share their findings and deepen mutual understanding through active discussion. Following the keynote lecture themed "Early Modern Japan-Korea Relations Seen from Drifting and Castaways," concrete reports will continue on topics including the Korean castaways' perception of Japan, records from the Matsumae Domain, place names and landscapes of Rishiri and Rebun, artifacts from the Ezo lands where they washed ashore, exchange poetry between Yi Ji-hang and monks of Aun-ji Temple, and the northern Hokkaido Ainu as witnessed by Yi Ji-hang. Finally, in a general discussion themed "History and Culture Connected by the Northern Seas," participants will deeply reflect together on the connections between history and culture. This symposium will serve as an important venue for understanding the historical encounter between the Ainu and Korea and reaffirming the significance of cultural exchange in the modern era.

Venue

National Ainu Museum

2-3-1 Wakakusacho, Shiraoi-cho, Shiraoi-gun, Hokkaido 059-0902