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{{Short description|Race of small people in Ainu folklore}}
{{Refimprove|date=November 2011}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2011}}
{{See also|Kolobok}}
{{nihongo|'''Koro-pok-guru'''|コロポックル|Koropokkuru}}, also written '''Koro-pok-kuru''', '''korobokkuru''', or '''koropokkur''', are a race of small people in folklore of the [[Ainu people]] of the northern Japanese islands. The name is traditionally analysed as a tripartite compound of ''kor'' or ''koro'' ("[[Petasites japonicus|butterbur plant]]"), ''pok'' ("under, below"), and ''kur'' or ''kuru'' ("person") and interpreted to mean "people below the leaves of the [[butterbur]] plant" in the [[Ainu language]].
[[Image:Koro-pok-guru photo 01.jpg|thumb|Wooden Koro-pok-guru dolls]]'''Korpokkur''' ({{lang-ain|コㇿポックㇽ}}; {{lang-ja|コロポックル|translit=Koropokkuru}}),<ref>European studies on Ainu language and culture. Philipp-Franz-von-Siebold-Stiftung. Deutschen Institut für Japanstudien Iudicium-Verl., 1993</ref> also written '''Koro-pok-kuru''',<ref>Alone with the Hairy Ainu: Or, 3800 Miles on a Pack Saddle Arnold Henry Savage Landor - 1893</ref> '''korobokkuru''', '''korbokkur''', or '''koropokkur''',<ref>Ainu-Grammatik, vol.2 Hans Adalbert Dettmer, O. Harrassowitz, 1997</ref> '''koro-pok-guru''', are a race of small people in folklore of the [[Ainu people]] of the northern Japanese islands. The name is traditionally analysed as a tripartite compound of ''kor'' ("[[Petasites japonicus|butterbur plant]]"), ''pok'' ("under, below"), and ''kur'' ("person") and interpreted to mean "people below the leaves of the [[Petasites japonicus|Fuki]]" in the [[Ainu language]].


The Ainu believe that the ''koro-pok-guru'' were the people who lived in the Ainu's land before the Ainu themselves lived there. They were short of stature, agile, and skilled at fishing. They lived in pits with roofs made from butterbur leaves.
The Ainu believe that the ''korpokkur'' were the people who lived in the Ainu's land before the Ainu themselves lived there. They were short of stature, agile, and skilled at fishing. They lived in pits with roofs made from [[butterbur]] leaves.


Long ago, the ''koro-pok-guru'' were on good terms with the Ainu, and would send them deer, fish, and other game and exchange goods with them. The little people hated to be seen, however, so they would stealthily make their deliveries under cover of night.
Long ago, the ''korpokkur'' were on good terms with the Ainu, and would send them deer, fish, and other game and exchange goods with them. The little people hated to be seen, however, so they would stealthily make their deliveries under the cover of night.


One day, a young Ainu man decided he wanted to see a ''koro-pok-guru'' for himself, so he waited in ambush by the window where their gifts were usually left. When a ''koro-pok-guru'' came to place something there, the young man grabbed it by the hand and dragged it inside. It turned out to be a beautiful ''koro-pok-guru'' woman, who was so enraged at the young man's rudeness that her people have not been seen since. Their pits, pottery, and stone implements, the Ainu believe, still remain scattered about the landscape.
One day, a young Ainu man decided he wanted to see a ''korpokkur'' for himself, so he waited in ambush by the window where their gifts were usually left. When a ''korpokkur'' came to place something there, the young man grabbed it by the hand and dragged it inside. It turned out to be a beautiful ''korpokkur'' woman, who was so enraged at the young man's rudeness that her people have not been seen since. Their pits, pottery, and stone implements, the Ainu believe, still remain scattered about the landscape.

==In popular culture==
[[Image:Koro-pok-guru photo 01.jpg|thumb|Wooden Koro-pok-guru dolls]]
<!-- Note to editors: Please keep this list short and concise. Please avoid adding trivial references (e.g. the article subject is mentioned briefly in an episode of an anime, or is a minor boss in a game) and please refrain from OR (e.g. references using the following form: "X is probably based on article subject" or "X bears a striking resemblance to article subject" etc. are strongly discouraged). Thank you. -->

* In the [[manga]] ''[[Shaman King]]'' the ''koropokkur'' ("minutians" in the [[American English|English]] version) are depicted as a race of tiny spirit creatures which are influential to the background of the teenage Ainu [[shaman]] [[Horohoro (anime character)|Horohoro]]. A particular ''koropokkur''—named Kororo (Corey, in English)—accompanies Horohoro as his guardian spirit.
* They appear as playable race ''Koborokuru'' in ''[[Shadowrun]]'', in the ''[[Shadowrun Companion: Beyond the Shadows]]'' rulebook.<ref name="Shadowrun">{{cite book | year = 1997 | title = Shadowrun Kompendium | publisher = Fantasy Productions | page = 38 | isbn = 3-89064-731-6 }}</ref>
* The "Corobockles" of Squaresoft's action-adventure game ''Seiken Densetsu III'' may be related to Japanese Koropokkuru.
* "Koropokkuru" 「コロポックル」 is also the Official Fan Club name of the Japanese band [[Kra (band)|Kra]].
* In the video game ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap]]'', tiny creatures called {{nihongo|Picori|ピッコル|Pikkoru}} dwell in houses under plant leaves and hide items in tall grass and pots for the player to find, such as money or arrows.
* In the video game ''[[Ōkami]]'', one of the main protagonists is Issun ([[Issun-bōshi]]), an inch-tall boy from the village of Ponc'tan, which is the home of a tiny race of beings known in the English variant as Poncles (Koro-pok-guru). Ponc'tan resides in the Yoshpet forest ([[Aokigahara]]), which is within the lands of Kamui. Kamui is in northern Nippon, and is inhabited by a race of humans with shapeshifting abilities, known as the Oina (Ainu) Tribe.
* In the anime ''[[Inu x Boku]]'' one of the maids (Kotomura Chino) is a Koro-pok-guru
* In the manga and anime ''[[Honey and Clover]]'', Hagu is used by Morita as "evidence" of the Koro-pok-guru for a website to get money.
* In the video game ''[[Dark Cloud]]'' and ''[[Dark Chronicle]]'' there are enemies in the Japanese versions called "Pokokku" which are named after the seven weekdays and are found in the Wise Owl Forest, and have a variant in Moon Sea. In Dark Chronicle they return for Starlight Canyon and are called "Laughing Pokkuru" and have variants throughout the game. The English version of Dark Cloud mistranslated them to "Pockle" and mistranslated them to "Smiling Fairy" in ''Dark Chronicle''.
* In ''[[Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma]]'', the character Megumi Tadokoro is compared to a koro-pok-guru by Donato Gotouda for serving a [[terrine (food)|terrine]] that showcases [[Tohoku]]-style preserved vegetables.
* In ''Advanced [[Dungeons_%26_Dragons]]'' ''[[Oriental_Adventures]]'', the "korobokuru" are depicted as small, hairy dwarves who are less sophisticated than humans, rude, and pugnacious, but strong and tough.


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Okhotsk culture]]
*[[Okhotsk culture]]
*[[Tobinitai culture]]
*[[Susuya culture]]
*[[Nivkh people]]
*[[Mongol invasions of Sakhalin#The peoples of Sakhalin|Ainu-Nivkh rivalry]]
*[[Penglai Mountain#In Japanese mythology|Penglai Mountain]]
*[[Penglai Mountain#In Japanese mythology|Penglai Mountain]]
*[[Saisiyat people]]
*[[Saisiyat people]]
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==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* {{cite book
* {{cite book
|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=TEFBbXypvhgC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TEFBbXypvhgC
|title=The Koropok-Guru or pit-dwellers of north Japan, and, A critical examination of the nomenclature of Yezo, Volume 19
|title=The Koropok-Guru or pit-dwellers of north Japan, and, A critical examination of the nomenclature of Yezo, Volume 19
|volume=
|year=1904
|year=1904
|author=John Batchelor
|author=John Batchelor
|author-link=John Batchelor (missionary)
|editor=
|publisher=Japan Mail
|publisher=Japan Mail
⚫
|location=[[Yokohama]]
|edition=
⚫
|location=YOKOHAMA
|isbn=
|quote=
|page=18
|page=18
⚫
|access-date=1 March 2012}} (Harvard University) (digitized Jan 20, 2006)
|date=
⚫
|accessdate=1 March 2012 }}(Harvard University)(Digitized Jan 20, 2006)
* {{cite book
* {{cite book
|url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=SqK3KyhP6Y0C&dq=alone+with+the+hairy+ainu&source=gbs_navlinks_s
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SqK3KyhP6Y0C&q=alone+with+the+hairy+ainu
|title=Alone with the Hairy Ainu or, 3,800 Miles on a Pack Saddle in Yezo and a Cruise to the Kurile Islands
|title=Alone with the Hairy Ainu or, 3,800 Miles on a Pack Saddle in Yezo and a Cruise to the Kurile Islands
|volume=
|year=2001
|year=2001
|author=Arnold Henry Savage Landor
|author=Arnold Henry Savage Landor
|editor=
|publisher=Elibron
|publisher=Elibron
|edition=
|location=
|isbn=9781402172656
|isbn=9781402172656
}}
|quote=
|page=78
|page=18
|date=
|accessdate= }}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Ainu LoveToKnow Article on AINU] – A text from the [[11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica|1911 Encyclopædia Britannica]] which includes a somewhat different interpretation of the koro-pok-guru.
* [https://archive.org/details/EncyclopaediaBritannica1911HQDJVU Ainu Entry] from the [[11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica|1911 Encyclopædia Britannica]] which includes a somewhat different interpretation of the koro-pok-guru.


{{Japanese folklore long}}
{{Japanese folklore long}}


[[Category:Ainu culture]]
[[Category:Ainu legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Japanese legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Dwarves (folklore)]]
[[Category:Dwarf-like creatures]]

Latest revision as of 20:46, 5 December 2023

Wooden Koro-pok-guru dolls

Korpokkur (Ainu: コㇿポックㇽ; Japanese: コロポックル, romanized: Koropokkuru),[1] also written Koro-pok-kuru,[2] korobokkuru, korbokkur, or koropokkur,[3] koro-pok-guru, are a race of small people in folklore of the Ainu people of the northern Japanese islands. The name is traditionally analysed as a tripartite compound of kor ("butterbur plant"), pok ("under, below"), and kur ("person") and interpreted to mean "people below the leaves of the Fuki" in the Ainu language.

The Ainu believe that the korpokkur were the people who lived in the Ainu's land before the Ainu themselves lived there. They were short of stature, agile, and skilled at fishing. They lived in pits with roofs made from butterbur leaves.

Long ago, the korpokkur were on good terms with the Ainu, and would send them deer, fish, and other game and exchange goods with them. The little people hated to be seen, however, so they would stealthily make their deliveries under the cover of night.

One day, a young Ainu man decided he wanted to see a korpokkur for himself, so he waited in ambush by the window where their gifts were usually left. When a korpokkur came to place something there, the young man grabbed it by the hand and dragged it inside. It turned out to be a beautiful korpokkur woman, who was so enraged at the young man's rudeness that her people have not been seen since. Their pits, pottery, and stone implements, the Ainu believe, still remain scattered about the landscape.

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • John Batchelor (1904). The Koropok-Guru or pit-dwellers of north Japan, and, A critical examination of the nomenclature of Yezo, Volume 19. Yokohama: Japan Mail. p. 18. Retrieved 1 March 2012. (Harvard University) (digitized Jan 20, 2006)
  • Arnold Henry Savage Landor (2001). Alone with the Hairy Ainu or, 3,800 Miles on a Pack Saddle in Yezo and a Cruise to the Kurile Islands. Elibron. ISBN 9781402172656.

References[edit]

  1. ^ European studies on Ainu language and culture. Philipp-Franz-von-Siebold-Stiftung. Deutschen Institut für Japanstudien Iudicium-Verl., 1993
  2. ^ Alone with the Hairy Ainu: Or, 3800 Miles on a Pack Saddle Arnold Henry Savage Landor - 1893
  3. ^ Ainu-Grammatik, vol.2 Hans Adalbert Dettmer, O. Harrassowitz, 1997

External links[edit]

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