マタギと金太郎、秋田犬：Hunting in Japan

On the web I linked to from the posting on Jan. 9, I found a picture of Japanese man holding a rifle.(left) The writer, Justin Hall, seemed to be a little confused. Why in Japan?

Sure, Japan is a gun-free nation, and carrying and dealing pistols are strictly banned. But sport hunting is OK, although areas, seasons and targets are limited. All you need is the license issued by the local governor. With the license, you can buy a rifle.

So, is he Yakuza? No. Neither is he a sport hunter of the upper classes, considering its location. He's gotta be one of the Matagi-like hobbiests who go hunting when season comes.

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When I was little, my father used to take me to their gatherings. Their main target was a bear. Endangered species such as Japanese Serow (Kamoshika), Tsukinowaguma bear and Nihon-zaru monkey were to be avoided. In the after-game party, they cook fresh meat, sharing sake and mountain tales.

Strangely enough, the one who hit a bear was always Kintaro. Do you know Kintaro? Kintaro is a legendary hero who was raised deep in mountains playing with animals. He was believed to be strong enough to throw down a bear. The children's song goes "Kintaro in Ashigara mountain, sumo-wrestling with bears..." (full story)

So, everybody in Japan knows Kintaro can throw a bear. What they don't know is that OUR Kintaro was capable of hunting bears.

Kintaro's legend goes back a thousand years.

"Why him?," I used to ask them.
"Who knows. When it comes to bears, it's always Kintaro. Every year." they laughed out loud.

(courtesy :Bear Hunting in Japan 1957 - RRACI)

About 5 years ago when I spent a week there, all my neighbors were telling me about a Judo coach who threw down a bear he encountered on a backstreet in my hometown. The story was featured on local Sakigake news with big headlines. My parents scrapped it for me, so I'm quite positive it really happened.

BTW, Matagi is the traditional hunters who used live in Akita and its sorrounding areas. The Matagi's hunting dogs were the Akita's ancestors. You can read two most famous Akita legends; Loyal Hachiko and Shiro on this website(stories at the bottom). Hachiko stories are available in print as well.

(Ages 9-12)　　　　　　(Ages 4-8)

While looking for related web, I found the following...
Crow Busters - Beginner Article - Crow Hunting In Japan

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今月9日のブログでリンクしたサイトを見ていたらライフルを持った日 本人の接写があった。ライターのジャスティン・ホール君はこれを見て、とっても困惑している。そりゃそうだろう。日本と言ったら銃禁 止国。ヤクザにも見えないし･･･というわけで、ここでは猟の話を少々紹介してみた。

猟と言えばワタシが子供の頃、父が連れていってくれた猟師さんの集まりでは不思議なことに熊を仕留めるのは毎年、町内の金太郎さんと相場が決まっていた。「なんか知らんが熊だけはいつも金太郎なんだやな」。宴会は毎度その話で盛り上がる。

5年ぐらい前に帰った時には地元の柔道部コーチが、里に下りてきた熊を道で出会い頭に投げ飛ばした話題でモチキリだった。さきがけ新報も3段組(?)大見出し。なんせ親が記事を切り抜いて残しておいてくれたのだから、事実に間違いない。

関連ウェブ探しで見つけた拾い物は、青森三沢基地駐在中カラスを撃ちまくって行政から報奨金をもらって演習の足しにしていた元米軍の人の回顧録。
Crow Busters - Beginner Article - Crow Hunting In Japan

秋田犬はマタギの猟犬だったわけだが、最も著名な秋田犬である忠犬ハチ公と老犬シロの切ない物語はこちら(英語)。

kintaro│akita