Koropokkuru
In the traditional folklore of the Ainu people of northern Japan (particularly Hokkaido) and the Kuril Islands, the Koropokkuru are a legendary race of small people who inhabited the region before the arrival of the Ainu. According to ancestral oral history, their name translates roughly from the Ainu language as 'people who live below the butterbur leaves', reflecting their diminutive stature and their habit of living beneath the giant leaves of the bog rhubarb (fuki). These small folk were known for being skilled fishers and artisans, maintaining a peaceful, elusive coexistence with early Ai