Nibutani Ita Makiri, Collection of Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum

Makiri

It is said that in the old days, the Ainu carved ita using a single knife called makiri. The beautiful engravings on the makiri itself convey how the Ainu cherished each “tool for making tools” by decorating it with patterns. The makiri was an important tool that an Ainu man or woman would always carry about. When an Ainu man proposed to a woman, he carved a makiri with all his heart and best of his skills, and gave it to her as a marriage gift.