Large Ainu Bear, Japan 1960-70 - Wood - Monoxyl H64 Cm

Carved and stained wood. Direct carving - Monoxyl - small dents and wear, some scratches - 1960s-70s - hardwood - weight about 35 kg. Rare in this large format. Caution: a carrier is required!! Requires two people for transport.--About the Ainu: aboriginal population of northern Japan. Arrived around the 14th century BC, in the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. During the Meiji era, forced assimilation prohibited their culture, dispossessed them of their lands, until the complete annexation of Hokkaido. Just like the Eskimo populations of Canada, Chukchi of Siberia, the Ainu, perceive the bear as the equal of humans. For the Ainu, in nature there are divine spirits "kamuy", male or female, some good, others malevolent. When they come to Earth, they take on the appearance of natural entities: animals, plants, rivers, and mountains. The origin of this craft comes from the "inoka" animist miniatures of bears, showing the animal's power of metamorphosis. Kimun kamuy, when he descends from the mountains, dons his bear costume. - In 1933 Emperor Hirohito ordered bears, this event brought public attention, and led to the development of workshops.