The Moon Bear as a Symbol of Yama: Its Significance in the Folklore of Upland Hunting in Japan

Abstract

The Asiatic black bear, or "moon bear," has inhabited Japan since pre-historic times, and is the largest animal to have roamed Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu since mega-fauna became extinct on the Japanese archipelago after the last glacial period. Even so, it features only rarely in the folklore, literature, and arts of Japan's mainstream culture. Its relative invisibility in the dominant lowland agrarian-based culture of Japan contrasts markedly with its cultural significance in many upland regions where subsistence lifestyles based on hunting, gathering, and beliefs centered on the mountain deity (yama no kami) have persisted until recently. This article explores the significance of the bear in the upland regions of Japan, particularly as it is manifested in the folklore of communities centered on hunting, such as those of the matagi, and attempts to explain why the bear, and folklore focused on the bear, is largely ignored in mainstream Japanese culture. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]