In a recent post on Sony’s official PlayStation blog, Sucker Punch Productions' co-creative director Nate Fox provided further details regarding the research expeditions undertaken by the Ghost of Yotei development team in Japan. Building upon his earlier PlayStation blog entry (details available here), Fox once again highlighted the team’s dedication to depicting feudal Japan with respect, specifically focusing on their efforts to authentically represent Ainu culture.
The Ainu are an indigenous population from northern Japan, particularly inhabiting Hokkaido, the country’s northernmost main island, which serves as the backdrop for Ghost of Yotei. Their language, cultural practices, spiritual beliefs, and traditions stand distinctly apart from those of the Yamato (also referred to as Wajin), the dominant ethnic group comprising the vast majority of Japan’s current population.
Ghost of Yotei unfolds during a critical historical juncture — 1603 marked the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate by Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of Japan’s great unifiers, which concluded decades of civil conflict. Edo (modern-day Tokyo) emerged as the nation’s political center, initiating the peaceful Edo period characterized by significant cultural and social flourishing. Nevertheless, during this era, Hokkaido remained a rugged, sparsely populated wilderness inhabited by the Ainu, where harsh winters and challenging terrain made life difficult.
“When establishing a game set in Hokkaido, we recognized that accurately and respectfully portraying Ainu culture was essential,” Nate Fox stated. “Fortunately, we had already connected with an Ainu cultural advisor prior to beginning our research travels.” Furthermore, the advisor invited the team to meet her family, allowing the Ghost of Yotei developers to participate in mountain foraging for vegetables. “It was a wonderful way to build friendships and begin our exploration of Ainu culture. That evening, we decided to incorporate foraging into the game, hoping players could share (our) experience.”According to Fox, the Ghost of Yotei team dedicated part of their research journey to the Oshima Peninsula, the southern region of Hokkaido nearest to Japan’s main island, Honshu. In the 1600s, this area was under the control of the Matsumae clan, who held exclusive trading rights granted by the Tokugawa government to interact with Ainu communities further north. Fox noted that remnants of this historical dynamic persist today, as mainland Japanese residents rarely ventured beyond Oshima. He observed a “prevalence of cherry trees on the peninsula, introduced from Honshu, yet rare elsewhere on the island,” which “clearly illustrated how sparsely populated Hokkaido was by the Wajin people in 1603,” he added.
“We have attempted to replicate this characteristic in the game, emphasizing wild areas between settlements.” This untamed wilderness will serve as the setting for protagonist Atsu’s quest for vengeance against those responsible for her family’s death.
Fox and the development team also visited the Nibutani Ainu Museum alongside their Ainu cultural advisor. Traditional Ainu dwellings (known as cise) differ significantly from conventional Japanese architecture. The museum visit “significantly aided our understanding of the types of objects featured in the game and their usage.”
Viewers can observe the interior of an Ainu home, featuring a large central hearth, in Ghost of Yotei’s official release date trailer (approximately at the 2-minute mark). The female protagonist Atsu interacts with a character in this scene who appears to be Ainu, identified by her lip tattoo. This beauty symbol among the Ainu was later suppressed by the Japanese government in the late 1800s, following the full annexation of Hokkaido (source: Embassy of Japan in the UK). By that time, policies forcing the Ainu to abandon their language and culture in favor of integration into Japanese society were fully implemented.(As a side note, J.K Goodrich’s 1888 account of Ainu houses offers a firsthand perspective on the contrasts and complex relations between the Ainu and Japanese during this period.)
Ghost of Yōtei Screenshots
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Fox also discussed the time the Ghost of Yotei team spent studying Edo period Japan, which included a visit to Nikko Toshogu, one of Japan’s shrines dedicated to the unifying shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, who initiated the Edo period. “During our visit, we received a blessing for the game from the enshrined deity, Tokugawa Ieyasu,” Fox explained, adding that they proudly display the ema (wooden plaque) and omamori (protective charm) obtained from Nikko Toshogu at their studio as reminders of the trip.
Reflecting on the research journey, Fox noted that “while our depiction of Hokkaido is fictional, the sense of authenticity we aim to achieve is grounded in these real-world experiences.” It will be intriguing to observe how Ghost of Yotei portrays the contrast between Wajin/Edo culture and Ainu traditions.
