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The bear catch
A six year old bear shortly after it was caught by a local hunter. 99.11.19/ Temperature: 5C/ Weather: Cloudy/ Wind Direction: W
Start: Oisawa, Nishikawa Machi 38 24 14N/139 59 35 E
Destination: Asahi Mineral Spring, Asahi Town/ Latitude: N 38 14 19 N / Longitude: 139 59 37 E
Distance Traveled: 25.5 kmJust as Mr. Shida (see Wisdom reports #066 and 067) and I were about to return to Mt. Asahi House bed and breakfast, a friend of Mr. Shida informed us that a bear had been caught. We spent the next few hours watching hunters swiftly skin, gut, and prepare every last bit of the bear for consumption. It was the last thing that I had expected to experience during my stay with Mr. Shida. I was able to witness a tradition which has been passed down for centuries in Oisawa.
Hunters begin to prepare the bear to be divided up amongst family and friends. When we arrived on the scene, a bear of approximately six years laid on its side atop a large blue tarp. Measuring 1 meter 15 centimeters in length, its wet, deep black fur glittered in the dim light of the garage. It was my first time to see a bear at such close range. Coming from an area in New York where bears have come to be tourists' attractions and cute beasts of sentimental appreciation, I had mixed feelings as I reached down and felt its fur, which was still warm. I said a short prayer to the bear god and tuned in to what the hunters were doing.
As cute as the beast may be, bears have been hunted for generations in the deep mountains of Yamagata. Bear meat has been an important source of protein and bear furs as well as gall bladders have supplemented the salaries of locals as far back as any villager may recollect. This is still true today.
Bear is used in a pot-soup with leeks and fresh mountain mushrooms. Mr. SHIBUYA, 62, shot down the bear at approximately 2:55. Though most bear hunting is done in large groups, today, Mr. Shibuya brought the bear to a halt with three shots all by himself. "In the past one had to go deep into the mountains to catch bear, but nowadays they have increased quite a bit and can be found very close to the village. I shot this one only 150 meters >from the road." It was his first catch of the season.
"We use every last bit of the bear," said Mr. Shida as his two friends began to carve up the bear. He watched over the younger hunters, offering advice as the gall bladder was taken out. Mr. Shibuya carefully removed it as if someone were delivering a newborn baby (it happens to be the most valuable part of the bear). Normally the bear is divided equally amongst the hunters. Since Mr. Shibuya made today's catch, he divided it up amongst family and friends. "Once I split up the bear meat to other villagers, most of the bear is gone," he explained. Mr. Shida and I received a small bag of meat and headed home.
Though the tradition of bear hunting has a long history, some members of a younger generation have mixed feelings. "I think it's sad that the bear had to be killed," said Mr. SHIDA Tadaaki, Mr. Shida's son. "I used to hunt but have felt that it is less and less necessary since we can get the nutrients we need from the store. In the old days, bear and rabbit were essential to our diet, but now it seems less essential. Additionally, with the decrease in wildlife, I think it is important to protect all life." He also admitted that balancing his resistance to killing with the importance of maintaining the hunting tradition of Oisawa is very difficult. I nodded my head in agreement.
Everything we eat requires that life be taken. Whether it comes from the supermarket or the mountains of Oisawa. How well we treat and consume that which we prepare and eat may hold some of the answers to Mr. Shida's dilemma.
What do all of you think?
Greg
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