Nowadays, the leading hypothesis is derived from a theory that considers the issue from the perspective of cultural areas based on archaeology; another theory considers the continuity of Emishi after the seventh century with the Ainu, as examined from the perspective of toponyms of the Ainu language distributed in the northern Tohoku region.
現在では、考古学からする文化圏の検討と、北東北に分布するアイヌ語地名から、7世紀以降の蝦夷についてアイヌとの連続性を認める説が有力である。