Ezo

Ezochi, also known as Yezochi, was a historical region in Japan that encompassed areas not under the direct control of the central government, specifically referring to the "Land of the Ezo (Ainu)." The Ainu are an indigenous people historically associated with Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands.12

The concept of regions in Japan is closely tied to its administrative history. During the Nara and Heian periods, areas to the northeast of central Japan were often designated as Ezochi. Japanese colonization of Ainu territory began in the 1st millennium CE, and over centuries, the Ainu lost much of their land, eventually being resettled in the northernmost parts of the Japanese archipelago. The term Ezochi highlights the historical presence and distinctiveness of the Ainu people in these northern territories.12