also: えみし
noun
Emishi; Ezo; non-Yamato peoples of northern Japan
Historical term for indigenous groups in northern Honshu and Hokkaido, often contrasted with the Yamato court. The reading えみし is older; えぞ is now more common.
蝦夷は古代、東北地方に住んでいた人々を指す言葉だ。
Emishi is a term that referred to the people who lived in the Tohoku region in ancient times.
歴史の授業
noun
Yezo; Hokkaido, Sakhalin, and the Kuril Islands
Only with reading えぞ
Historical name for the northern territories, especially during the Edo period. Reading restricted to えぞ.
See also: 蝦夷地
江戸時代、蝦夷地は松前藩が支配していた。
During the Edo period, the Ezo region was controlled by the Matsumae domain.
In history class, we learned about the relationship between the Emishi and the imperial court.
Katakana spelling of the older reading; may appear in historical or academic contexts.
Specifically refers to the land of Ezo (Hokkaido and surrounding areas) as a geographical/political entity, while 蝦夷 can refer to the people or the region more broadly.
Modern term for the indigenous Ainu people of Hokkaido; 蝦夷 is an older, often historical term that may encompass broader groups.
The exact origin is uncertain. The kanji 蝦夷 are ateji (phonetic equivalents) applied to the native Japanese word, which may be related to えみし (ancient term for the people) or えぞ (later reading for the region).