Menasunkur village, Ezo
The village stood at the mouth of the Shibechari River, so named because of the many salmon that spawned in its waters, although this was not the right time of year for salmon. In fact, it was more typical in these months to receive visitors from across the seas. Not, of course, the prideful retainers of clan Matsumae, who only ventured beyond the hinterlands of their town when they wanted something. The foreigners from across the seas were a different kind, and tended to arrive as unobtrusively as possible. Someone had mentioned to Wakka that the Matsumae didn’t really care all that much, but if they knew the true extent that the other foreigners were around, they might start demanding a larger tribute in exchange for their silence, so everyone maintained the polite fiction of secrecy.
Wakka, personally, was skeptical that this state of affairs would last for very long. The Matsumae were not the abstemious sort, and even if they enjoyed autonomy from their bosses further south (Wakka was not very familiar with the government of the southerners), sooner or later they’d ask for too much. And then what would his people do?
He tried to explain this to his friend Isonash, but the younger man just grunted. “You think too much, man.” His head was wreathed in a cloud of smoke.
Wakka sighed. The other foreigners -- the ones from across the seas, not the Matsumae -- brought with them interesting goods to trade, including the leaves of some plant that Isonash liked smoking. It put the guy in a good mood, but he would get kinda grouchy whenever he ran out.[1]
But Isonash had his cigarros, so he didn’t care much. Wakka felt something was off, though. For one thing, the ship was late. And the foreigners who disembarked were looking awfully grim when they went to talk to the chief.
“Come on. Live up to your name a little.” He nudged Isonash. “What do you think they’re talking about?”
Isonash sighed. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said. “Probably the war or something.”
“War? Who’s fighting?”
“Depends on the war.”
“There’s more than one?”
Isonash breathed out another cloud of smoke. His parents had hoped he’d grow up to be a great hunter. Well, he did well enough to trade for cigarros, but he did little else. “Sure,” he said. “The new foreigners are in a pissing match with Matsumae’s bosses. Which would be interesting enough if the new foreigners weren’t also fighting themselves, because they’re trying to figure out who’s the real chief. Something along those lines.” He tapped his forehead. “I keep my ears open.”
Wakka sighed. Somehow, the fact that Isonash didn’t even have to try to be successful was annoying. Not like anybody tells me anything, Wakka thought.
“Why’d you ask?” Isonash broke into his musings. “You looking to join up with them, become a sailor?”
“Nah. I’m not going away like that.” Although there were plenty of folk who did. The work was hard, they said, and dangerous, but quite profitable. “And if they’re in as much of a mess as you say, what’s the use, huh?”
“Mmm, they may be recruiting among us now, for all the good it does them. I wouldn’t count them out just yet,” Isonash said, taking another deep breath of the fragrant smoke. “But I don’t think they’ll be able to get our chief much of the stuff he wants. He’s been stockpiling all kinds of fancy weapons, that’s no secret here, and I don't think he'll be happy with any delay.”
Wakka had heard something of it but hadn’t really thought of it until now. Of course the chief liked weapons; what chief didn't? “You think the chief’s about to make a power play? Against Matsumae?”
“Not my business,” Isonash said calmly. “I wouldn’t put it past him, once he’s ready. If there’s one thing about Shakushain, he’s not lacking in courage. That’s for sure.”[2]
Footnotes
[1] Isonash is smoking tobacco, likely traded to Dongshan or “acquired” from the Spanish, who have been cultivating tobacco in the Philippines for decades. Not opium. Just for the record.
[2] IOTL, Shakushain was a chief of the Menasunkur Ainu who eventually led his people in a border skirmish that became a general war against the Matsumae. The conflict ended with a negotiated peace but Shakushain and many of his retainers were assassinated immediately afterwards. ITTL he’s obviously alive as of 1645-46. Japanese Wikipedia notes that another guy was chief until Shakushain inherited the position in 1653, but Shakushain is chief now because of butterflies or something. (His predecessor died IOTL amid a border skirmish with another Ainu group, so let’s say that it happened a little bit earlier -- or Dongshan-provided weaponry led to more violent conflict that led to some deaths ahead of schedule -- so our guy Shakushain is in charge right now.)
Wakka and Isonash, being rather minor characters intended to give a quick snapshot of the Ainu, are fictional.