Summary
Upopoy hosts the sixth annual Takeshiro Matsuura in Upopoy event with Matsusaka City and Betsukai Town, spotlighting the explorer credited with naming Hokkaido.
Upopoy will hold the sixth edition of Takeshiro Matsuura in Upopoy on August 1 and 2, 2026, co-hosted with Matsusaka City in Mie Prefecture and Betsukai Town in eastern Hokkaido. The event explores the life of Takeshiro Matsuura, the Edo-period explorer credited with proposing the name Hokkaido.
Programme
- Venue: Upopoy entrance building.
- Panel exhibition on Matsuura’s six Hokkaido expeditions and his interactions with Ainu people, including the merchant-interpreter Denzo Kaga.
- Mini lecture 1: Matsuura’s contact with the Ainu and his hometown of Matsusaka, delivered by Mikoto Yamamoto, director of the Matsuura Takeshiro Memorial Museum.
- Mini lecture 2: Denzo Kaga’s work alongside Ainu people at the Notsuke Peninsula, delivered by Kazuto Ishiwatari, director of the Betsukai Town Local History Museum.
- Embroidery workshop: Ainu motif embroidery on Matsusaka Cotton coasters, guided by the Shiraoi Ainu Association.
Why it matters
The event links Hokkaido and Mie Prefecture through a single historical figure and puts practical craft experience next to academic lectures, keeping the material accessible for family visitors.
For international readers
Matsuura’s journals are among the most cited sources on 19th-century Ainu communities and coastal Hokkaido geography.
Source: Upopoy press release, July 1, 2026.
Source Details
| Source | Upopoy - National Ainu Museum and Park |
|---|---|
| Original Title | 北海道の名付け親・松浦武四郎とアイヌ文化との関わりを学ぶ |
| Original Published | 2026-07-01 |
| Region | shiraoi |
| Target Reader | general |
| Review Status | reviewed |
| Risk Level | normal |
| Original Source | Upopoy - National Ainu Museum and Park |
Editor Note
Free event but participation may be capped for the embroidery workshop; confirm before publication.