tsuba subject

[goose710]

Gentlemen

Last night while watching television i found out Japan has black bears, i've never seen one depicted on a tsuba . Has anyone seen a tsuba with a bear on it??

Just a bit of curiousity is all.

Charly Grusovnik

[b.hennick]

I have a fuchi with a bear - no tsuba.

[Geraint]

Interesting observation. I have it in mind that I have seen a tsuba with an illustration of a bear in a cave being hunted by a Dutchman with a tanegashima. Haven't succeeded in locating the image yet but it does underscore the scarcity of the subject. If I find it I will post the reference.

 

All the best.

[John A Stuart]

A few bear species in Japan. White chested black and the Amur brown. The bear was extremely important to the Ainu as meat and symbolically. Bear fur is found as trimming on lots of armour. One of my favourite animals, right tasty, it is amazing there is so little depiction of them on tosougu given their strength, ferocity and tenacity. For interest, where I live the native population has the belief that feeding bear meat to dogs will make them aggressive and not done. As well, women traditionally were forbidden to eat bear. What is the greatest treat from a bear? The intestines cleaned, wrapped on a stick and roasted over an open fire. Crispy fat deliciousness. My parkas are all trimmed in white tipped grizzly I have shot and eaten, not being a trophy hunter; if you can't eat it don't shoot it kind of guy. The same characteristics can be found in the boar and that may be the Japanese analog for the theme. In Scandanavian lore both animals are portrayed as such and associated with various Norse gods. John