Ghost of Yotei Team Highlights Respectful Ainu Culture Representation

In a new entry on Sony’s official PlayStation blog, Sucker Punch Productions' co-creative director Nate Fox detailed the research efforts behind Ghost of Yotei’s depiction of Japan. Following his prior PlayStation blog post (more details here), Fox reiterated the team’s dedication to portraying feudal Japan respectfully, with a special focus on authentically representing Ainu culture.

The Ainu, an indigenous group from northern Japan, primarily inhabit Hokkaido, the setting for Ghost of Yotei. Their language, traditions, and beliefs stand apart from those of the Yamato (also known as Wajin), the predominant ethnic group in modern Japan.

Ghost of Yotei unfolds in 1603, a turning point in history when Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa Shogunate, ending decades of civil war. Edo (now Tokyo) emerged as Japan’s power center, marking the start of the culturally rich Edo period. Yet, Hokkaido remained a rugged, sparsely populated land dominated by the Ainu, its harsh winters and wild terrain posing significant challenges.

“Set in Hokkaido, we knew representing Ainu culture respectfully was essential,” Nate Fox stated. “We were fortunate to connect with an Ainu cultural adviser before our research trip.” The team was warmly invited to meet her family, sharing an experience of foraging for vegetables in the mountains. “It was a meaningful way to build connections and begin learning about Ainu culture. That evening, we decided to incorporate foraging into the game, letting players share in that experience,” Fox added.

Fox shared that the team explored the Oshima Peninsula, Hokkaido’s southern region closest to Honshu, during their research. In the 1600s, the Matsumae clan controlled this area, holding exclusive trade rights with the Ainu in the north. Fox noted the abundance of cherry trees on the peninsula, imported from Honshu, as a sign of limited Wajin settlement in Hokkaido at the time. “This scarcity of settlement is reflected in the game, with vast wilderness separating homesteads,” he explained.

At the Nibutani Ainu Museum, accompanied by their Ainu adviser, the team studied traditional Ainu homes, known as cise, which differ markedly from Japanese designs. This visit helped shape the objects and settings featured in the game.

The official Ghost of Yotei release date trailer (around the 2-minute mark) offers a glimpse inside an Ainu home, featuring a central hearth. The protagonist, Atsu, interacts with a woman who appears Ainu, identifiable by her lip tattoo—a cultural symbol of beauty later suppressed by the Japanese government in the late 1800s after Hokkaido’s annexation (source: Embassy of Japan in the UK). By then, policies forced the Ainu to assimilate, eroding their language and traditions.

(As an aside, J.K Goodrich’s 1888 account provides a firsthand perspective on Ainu homes and the complex Ainu-Japanese relations of the era.)

Ghost of Yōtei Screenshots

Fox also discussed the team’s exploration of Edo-period Japan, including a visit to Nikko Toshogu, a shrine dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who unified Japan. “We received a blessing for the game from the enshrined deity,” Fox shared, noting that the team keeps an ema (wooden plaque) and omamori (protective charm) from the shrine at their studio as mementos.

Reflecting on the journey, Fox emphasized that “while our Hokkaido is fictional, its authenticity is grounded in real-world experiences.” The game aims to vividly contrast the Wajin/Edo culture with that of the Ainu, promising a rich and respectful portrayal.