Kotan (ƙauye)

A **kotan** ( Katakana : コタン) yanki ne na al'adar mutanen kabilan  Ainu . 

## Gabatarwa
Saboda ƙarancin kayan aiki na farko (kamar yadda Ainu ba shi da tsarin rubutu ), duk binciken da aka yi akan Ainu kotan (dangane da ayyukan Rashanci, Jafananci, da Ingilishi ) za su sami nazari da ra'ayoyi daban-daban, sun bambanta da yawa dangane da masu bincike da tsawon lokacin aikin su.

Ana yawan fassara kalmar *kotan* cikin kuskure zuwa " kauye "; Kalmar gabaɗaya ta shafi duk matsugunan mutane, ba tare da la’akari da girmansu ba. Alal misali, a cikin fassarar Ainu na Littafi Mai-Tsarki, Roma da Urushalima ana kiran su *yerusalem kotan* da *roma kotan*, bi da bi.

## Bayani
Ba kamar sauran mafarauta ba, waɗanda ba su zauna a wuri ɗaya a kowane lokaci ba, Ainu sun dogara sosai kan kamun kifi, don haka suka zauna a wuraren da ke da kamun kifi mai kyau (kamar ɓangarorin kogi ) kuma sun gina ƙauyuka a wurin, kodayake ya danganta da lokacin lokacin Ainu zai ƙaura zuwa wani sabon wurin kamun kifi. Misali, idan filin haifuwar salmon ya banbanta a gefen kogin, Ainu zai yi hijira tare da kasa, wanda zai kai ga gina kotan a tsaka-tsaki na kusan kilomita 5 zuwa 7.

Matsakaicin kotan sun kasance ƙanana kuma ba su da yawa sosai. Kotan yana iya zama kusan gidaje biyar zuwa bakwai, kodayake akwai manyan ƙauyuka goma ko fiye. Fiye da gidaje 20 gabaɗaya sun kasance sakamakon tilastawa Ainu tara ƙwadago a ƙarƙashin tsarin kwangilar wuri (場所請負制) da dangin Matsumae suka kafa a lokacin Edo, wanda ba za a iya kiransa da *kotan* na gargajiya ba kuma. A cikin 1856, Takeshirō Matsuura (mai bincike a Hokkaido ) ya ba da rahoton cewa iyalai 10 ne ke zaune da mutane 47 gabaɗaya. 

Kotan gabaɗaya ya ƙunshi *[[cise]]* (gidaje masu rufi ), *hepereset* (cages don adana beyar yawanci don bikin *iomante* ), *ashinru* da/ko *menokol* (dakunan wanka na maza da mata bi da bi), *pui* (gidajen adana abinci), da busasshen bushewa iri-iri na shuke-shuken daji, kifi, da fatun dabbobi. Yawancin lokaci akwai *nusasan* ( bagadi ) da aka keɓe ga allahn Inau shima. A cikin shekaru masu zuwa, ana iya samun *chashis* (Ainu fortifications) a kusa da ƙauyukan Ainu. 

Akwai wani wuri na gama-gari a kusa da kotan da ake kira *iwolo*, inda mazauna kotan ke da 'yancin sare itatuwa, farauta, kifi, da kiwo na shuke-shuken daji da noma su. An gayyaci kotan da ke kusa da su don raba wuraren farauta, gudanar da *bikin* tare, kuma galibi suna samun shugaba ɗaya na kotan da yawa. Irin wannan tarin kotan abokantaka ana kiransa *ekasi itokpa* .

## Ainu kotan na yanzu
Kotan Ainu *kotan* guda ɗaya ne da ake ci gaba da zama har yau, Kogin Akan kotan a Kushiro. A cikin 1959, har yanzu an sami warwatse na Ainu kotan a kusa da tafkin Akan, kafin Mitsuko Maeda na gidauniyar Maeda Ippoen (kungiyar da ta taimaka wajen adana tafkin Akan) ta ba da shawarar sauran Ainu ya ƙaura zuwa sabuwar ƙasar da ya saya. Yayin da Ainu ya ƙaura zuwa sabuwar ƙasa kyauta, an ƙirƙiri tafkin Akan kotan. 
Fayil:Kotan1.jpg|alt=Lake Akan Kotan (photographed December 11, 2004)| Lake Akan Kotan (hoton Disamba 11, 2004)
Fayil:Kotan2.jpg|alt=Lake Akan Kotan (photographed December 11, 2004)| Lake Akan Kotan (hoton Disamba 11, 2004)
Fayil:Kotan3.jpg|alt=Lake Akan Kotan (photographed December 11, 2004)| Lake Akan Kotan (hoton Disamba 11, 2004)


## Amfani da kotan azaman sunan wuri
Kowane *kotan* yana da sunan wuri na musamman, kuma saboda haka, ana iya samun *kotan* kotan a ko'ina cikin Hokkaido, Sakhalin, da tsibirin Kuril .

### Hokkaido

* Onnekotan (温禰古丹, "babban ƙauye")
* Shashikotan (捨子古丹, " kombu village")
* Chirinkotan (知林古丹, "kauyen zaftarewar laka ")
* Kharimkotan (春牟古丹, "kauyen da yawa cardiocrinum ")

## Manazarta