Tamasay

Ainu necklace

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Tamasay" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

A tamasay displayed in the Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, Japan

A tamasay (or tamasai) is a bead necklace worn by Ainu women for special occasions.

## History

[edit]

The necklace is called a shitoki if it has a medallion. They are made with large glass beads the Ainu obtained through trading with Chinese merchants. The Ainu also obtained glass beads secretly made by the Matsumae Clan.[1]

## Significance

[edit]

The shitoki medallion often represents the white-tailed sea eagles that the Ainu hunt. The more strands and beads a necklace has, the more valuable it is. The necklaces are passed down through generations and are highly treasured by their owners.

This jewelry is especially important in ceremonies and rituals because it is believed to protect the wearer from evil spirits. In certain Ainu communities, shitoki were used decorate the skulls of deceased bears during the Iomante ceremony.[2]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Ainu History and Culture : Ornaments
2. ^ Takashi Irimoto, The Ainu Bear Festival, (Sapporo: Hokkaido University Press, 2014), 124.

This article related to the culture of Japan is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

This article about the Ainu people is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

|

* v
* t
* e

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template