Master - An Ainu Story provides a rare insight into the lives and culture of modern-day Ainu
(an indigenous people of Japan). It has been exhibited at The Brunei Gallery London Sway
Gallery London and Stockholm The ICP Museum New York and has appeared in National
Geographic Traveler magazine. Adam Isfendiyar is a London-based photographer whose passion is
in telling the stories of individuals and their connection to their environment. He lived in
Hokkaido Japan with Kenji Matsuda from 2016 to 2018. Through the personal experiences of
Matsuda san the photos and stories in this book tell the story of survival and adaptation of
the Ainu. Matsuda san known as 'Master' (which roughly translates to 'Boss' in English) to his
family colleagues and patrons has grown up sandwiched between two generations of Ainu with
very different attitudes towards their heritage. While his grandparents' generation encouraged
their children and grandchildren to assimilate for fear of discrimination recent generations
have started to demand recognition of their indigenous status which was finally given in
February 2019.
