Ainu \Ai"nu\, n. [Said to be the native name for man.] One of a peculiar race found primarily in Hokkaido, in the northern part of the empire of Japan, the Kurile Islands, and nearby. They are believed to be the native inhabitants of the Japanese islands. The Ainus are stout and short, with hairy bodies. Also called {Aino} and {hairy Ainu}. [1913 Webster +PJC]
By 1739 Russians had plotted the Kurils, coming into conflict with Japanese who traded and fished in the islands, then peopled by the Ainu, the aboriginal people of northern Japan.