The Beginning Stage of the Japanese Colonization of Hokkaido (1869-1919)

Abstract

The issue of Hokkaido colonization is among insufficiently studied ones, and, in our opinion, it is undeserved. Moreover, this indifference is observed no only among foreign researchers. There is also some neglect of this topic on the part of Japanese historians. This topic was a little bit away from the main subject of historical study of Hokkaido, and the Ainu anthropology became this subject for a number of reasons. The term "colonization"5 is rarely used in Japan to describe the situation on the island during the Meiji period (1852-1912). The Hokkaido Historical Museum exposition in Sapporo, devoted to this stage, is called «Progression of Colonization» in English, and is translated nearly as “The Virgin Lands Campaign” from Japanese.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6s3p269