Haibun (5)

 

Haibun “Bears and Human Lives”

 

Hidenori Hiruta

President of AIHN

 

熊の毛皮

Bear Fur

 

 

Bear fur was very durable and highly valued. It was in demand as a large piece of material that could keep the back warm and protect against the cold. It was used as a mat in the living room of an ordinary private home. It was large enough for about four children to sit on, and the bear fur was about 5 cm long and smooth, making it ideal for making mats and keeping warm. Today, it is used as decoration in guesthouses and souvenir shops.

 

熊の皮敷きし横座や冬至の来　秀法

 

Bear fur spread

on the household head’s spot

the winter solstice

 

熊の皮敷きし座敷の花菖蒲　田中冬二

 

Irises

in the tatami room

with bear fur put

 

昨日獲て秋日に干せり熊の皮　相馬遷子

 

Bear fur

caught yesterday

dried in the autumn sun

 

熊の胆

Bear Bile

 

 

Bear bile (yutan) is an animal-derived herbal medicine derived from bears. It is also called bear bile (kumanoi). It is made from dried bear bile.

The effects and uses of bear bile were introduced to Japan from China, and bear bile, which is said to have begun to be used in the Asuka period, was even collected as a "cho" (a type of tax) in Echigo during the Nara period.

It is used as a medicine for the digestive system in general, with stomachic and choleretic effects. It has a strong bitter taste. It is also used as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine.

During the Edo period, bear bile became widely used as a prescription drug, and various feudal domains in the Tohoku region set official prices for it, while the Akita domain made efforts to sell it as medicine.

However, due to the revision of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law in 1971, hunters are now unable to trade as they once did.

 

風呂吹や火棚に吊す熊の肝　菅原多つを

 

The bathtub

bear liver hanging

on the fire shelf

 

Bear bile refers to the gallbladder, a bag-like structure that stores bile (liquid). The gallbladder is removed carefully so as not to rupture it, and the top is immediately tied tightly with hemp thread.

It is then hung over the hearth or bathtub fireplace to dry. Once semi-dry, it is sandwiched between boards to shape it, tightly tied with string, and left to dry indoors for the final product. It takes just over a month to produce the finished product.

 

熊の胆を嘗め越中の寒きかな　旭

 

Tasting the bear bile

during the cold winter periods 

in Etchu

 

大寒や苦き熊の胆乗り越える　秀法

 

The coldest winter days

overcoming it

with bitter bear bile

 

熊の胆の少し売らるる霧の小屋　

                                                  北見さとる

 

A misty hut

selling

a little bear bile

 

Bear bile is considered the highest quality of traditional Chinese medicine. Its efficacy in treating chronic gastrointestinal ailments, food poisoning, fatigue, hangovers, and other ailments has long made it a valuable source of income for bear hunters.

 

阿仁マタギ

Ani Matagi hunters

 

Ani Town, Kitaakita City, Akita Prefecture, is an area that holds great significance for Matagi hunters throughout Japan. Discovered in Ani in 1309 (the second year of the Enkei era), the Ani Mine (which closed in 1978) once boasted the largest copper production in Japan, and it is said that this copper was also used to make the Great Buddha of Nara. While the area flourished as a mining town, producing gold and silver in addition to copper, the area was also dotted with settlements where hunters made a living in the deep mountain valleys. These were the Ani Matagi hunters.

 

 

The Matagi Museum is located next to Utto Onsen Matagi no Yu. The museum displays many items such as Matagi costumes, hunting equipment, and peddling equipment, which have been designated as Important Tangible Cultural Properties of Japan, making it a must-see for anyone wanting to learn about Matagi culture and beech belt culture.

 

Here is a copy of the Matagi secret scroll that travelling Matagi always carried with them.

 

      The Ani Matagi are revered as the "main family" by fellow Matagi throughout the country. They were not village Matagi, whose hunting activities were limited to the areas surrounding their residential areas, but rather traveling Matagi, who traveled to faraway places such as Aomori, Iwate, Fukushima, Yamagata, Niigata, and Nagano. Since the early 1800s, Ani Matagi have settled down as adopted sons-in-law in their travels, forming hunting groups in the villages they visited as branch families.

There are also many cases of Matagi migrating to areas where there was no local Matagi, and passing on Matagi culture to those areas. In this way, the Ani Matagi are known as Japan's leading hunters, active throughout eastern Japan.

 

巻物の教えを胸に旅マタギ　　秀法

 

Traveling matagi

with the teachings in the scroll

kept in mind

 

There are several Matagi settlements in Ani. The most representative are Nekko, Utto, and Hitachinai. There are slight differences in hunting methods. Nekko and Utto are said to have originated from the Heike refugees, while Hitachinai originated from Matagi who came from Nikko. Nekko, the birthplace of Matagi, had the largest number of Matagi, followed by Utto and Hitachinai.

 

  

After climbing the hill and passing through the 576m-long Nekko Tunnel, which is only wide enough for one car to pass through, you will arrive at Nekko village. It is truly a hidden village.    

Once you leave the narrow, dark tunnel, the view suddenly opens up and the hidden village comes into view. You will notice that it is very similar to the world of "Shangri-La" created by Tao Yuanming over 1,600 years ago. Nekko has been selected as one of the "Top 100 Villages of Japan" (sponsored by Asahi Shimbun /Forest Culture Association).

 

 

In Matagi villages, farming for self-sufficiency was an important job mainly performed by women. Other important tasks for women included gathering wild vegetables in the spring and mushrooms in the fall, and gathering and processing nuts.

 

Men mainly hunted during the hunting season from winter to spring, but in summer they often fished in the rivers, and some even went out selling medicines such as bear bile. Now that hunting has declined, many men are focusing on forest work or, where conditions are favorable, farming.

 

熊撃ちに行くとふ微笑髯の中　　遠山陽子

 

In the smiling beard

a matagi going

to hunt bears

 

Until World War II, Ani Matagi traveled not only throughout the Tohoku region, but also as far as Niigata, Nagano, Gifu, Toyama, and Nara in search of bear and chamois. Traveling Matagi would travel in groups of several people for periods of one to three months.

 

熊撃ちの近寄りがたき傲りかな　山口冬男

 

Bear matagi

with such pride

unapproachable

 

When they reached the local mountains, they would build a hunting hut, and when food became scarce, they would descend to the nearest village every 10 days or so. They would replenish their supplies of rice and miso paste from farmers and others in exchange for the meat and gall of their game. The private homes that provided such convenience were called "matagi lodgings."

 

ひとり煮て熊鍋妻子なかりけり　石川桂郎

 

Cooking bear stew

by himself

with no wife or children

 

According to records from 1932 in the Nego village, out of the 84 households, 76 men went out to peddle bird and animal furs and bear gall during the farming off-season. Their destinations were as far as 20 prefectures, with some even going as far as Sakhalin. It is said that the whole village was enriched by the Matagi.

 

熊撃のはにかんでゐる春炉かな　茨木和生

 

The bear matagi

smiling shyly

at spring furnace

 

An elder who remembers those days says, "In the old days, every man in the village would disappear in the winter. There used to be 50 to 60 Matagi, but only about 10 would remain in the village."

Traveling Matagi chose places where there were few skilled hunters and there was plenty of game. If all the skilled Matagi were to hunt in the local area, where there was a concentration of them, it would lead to overhunting and the game would quickly disappear, which was a major reason for setting out on the journey.

 

共存

Coexistence

 

熊の出る村まさかりの幟立つ　萩原麦草

 

A village

where bears appear

with flags of axes raised

 

蜂蜜を熊にとられな冬仕度　 龍岡晋

 

Ready for winter

not to let the bears

steal honey

 

熊出るといふ立札の新しく　 関口美子

 

A new signpost

standing

announcing bears

 

熊よけの鈴を響かせ登山帽　 安部恵子

 

A mountaineering hat

with a bear bell

ringing

 

迷ひ熊一村湧かす木の芽晴れ　　林民子

 

Stray bear

the village lively and excited

a clear day like buds coming out

 

熊除けの鈴高らかに登校児　　和田和子

 

Children to school

ringing bells

to repel bears

 

校庭を熊が眺めてゐたりちふ　相生垣瓜人

 

BEAR looking at the schoolyard

they say

 

熊除の鈴打ち鳴らし下校の子　　大島鋸山

 

School children home

with ringing bells on their way

to ward off bears

 

村営バス揺るたび熊除け鈴鳴れり　　

                                                           高澤良一

 

Every time

the village bus sways

a bear repellent bell ringing

 

熊がでて仕事にならぬ杣飯場　　田島緑繁

 

A bear stopping

workers duty

a logging camp

 

熊でるまではなんでもなき山路　大塚信太

 

ORDINARY mountain path

before a bear appearance

 

熊出でて村に夜番の組まれけり　　

                                                        芝山喜久子

 

A bear appearance

with a night watch set up

in the village

 

落葉にさまよふ子熊人里に　　秀法

 

Young bear

wandering among fallen leaves

to the village

 

柿の木に居座る子熊柿を食ふ　　秀法

 

A bear cub

staying and often eating persimmons

on a persimmon tree

 

木枯らしに子熊さまよい公園に　　秀法

 

The cold wintry wind

young bear wandering

to the park

 

冬眠や倉庫の隅に潜む熊　　秀法

 

HIBERNATION

a bear hidden in the corner

a warehouse

 

除雪中物置小屋に眠る熊　　秀法

 

Snow removing

a bear sleeping in

a store shed

 

ベルリンの熊

Bears in Berlin

 

Berlin, the capital of Germany, is nicknamed "Bear City," and its symbol is indeed a bear. The city's flag and coat of arms feature a bear, the logo of Berlin's staple beer, Berliner Pilsner, also features a bear, and the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival is a golden bear.

 

 

The symbol of Berlin is a bear, and the most popular theory about its origin is that it comes from the fact that the German word for bear, "Bär" or "Bärin," sounds similar to Berlin.

 

熊の文字ベルリンの名に残りけり　　秀法

 

The word “bear”

used in the name of Berlin

from its old term

 

Around the 13th century, bears replaced eagles in the city's coat of arms, and since then, bears have appeared in many places as a symbol of Berlin. There is a large bear figurine at Berlin Central Station, and now the city's image is a bear. Berlin is also known as "Bear Village," and bears are a beloved animal. Walking around the city, you can come across unique bear objects (Buddy Bears) that could be called pop art everywhere.

 

ベルリンの昔日偲ぶバディベア　　秀法

 

Buddy Bears

talking on the old days

of Berlin

 

 

ベルリンの守護神のごとバディベア　秀法

 

Buddy Bears

protecting the great city

of Berlin

 

Nowadays, with the development of Berlin, the bear has become more widely recognized as the city's guardian animal, and has become a beloved animal. Bear statues called "Buddy Bear" have been installed all over the city, and they serve as mascots to welcome tourists. For the people of Berlin, bears represent their very identity, but the reality is that bears are extinct in Germany.

 

参考文献

 

・マタギ資料館

　（北秋田市観光文化スポーツ部観光課

      森吉山推進室／

　 マタギの里観光開発株式会社）

・「俳句季語一覧ナビ」季語／

      熊を使った俳句

・全国マタギの本家「阿仁又鬼（マタギ）」

　（森と水の郷・あきた森づくり活動

      サポートセンター   総合情報サイト）

・伝説のマタギの素顔とは？

　故・松橋時幸さんの信条／

     秋田県阿仁マタギ本家

　（男の隠れ家デジタル）

・日本最後の縄文人「マタギの里　阿仁」

　（「司馬遼太郎の街道をゆく」を旅する）

・ベルリンのシンボルが

    熊なのはなぜなのか。

　（レファレンス共同データベース・

       提供館岡山県立図書館）