If you watch the news over the past few years, you'll likely see a recurring theme of bears roaming near homes, sometimes sleeping on balconies, and even raiding kitchens.
According to Japan's Ministry of the Environment, there were 193 bear attacks on humans from April to November 2023, resulting in six deaths, the highest number since records began 17 years ago.
And in a recent NHK interview with Professor Koji Yamazaki of Tokyo University of Agriculture, he said that the long, hot summer of 2023 was “particularly problematic due to nationwide food shortages.” This is probably due to the fact that they are not afraid of the wild and there is a lack of food such as beech nuts.”
Cheap and less crowded: Why Japan's Hakuba is attractive to foreign skiers
Cheap and less crowded: Why Japan's Hakuba is attractive to foreign skiers
As the number of animals wandering into residential areas increases, so do calls for the removal of bears and the second most invasive animal, wild boars.
But rather than simply slaughtering people to protect their homes and crops, Japanese farmers and hunters have taken advantage of the situation to revive traditional hunting methods. Meanwhile, in a country far more diverse than many urban Japanese people realize, hyperregional, ancient and unknown hunting practices are attracting new attention.
For example, deer and boar meat forms part of many traditional diets and is usually eaten as a source of protein in winter. Recently, there has been a resurgence of local preference, not only in snowy countries but also in regions further south, and this type of game has become a trend among consumers, with many stores and restaurants specializing in wild meat products. Masu.
Therefore, the rationale behind animal culling is not only for human safety, but also for tradition and nutrition as part of an off-grid lifestyle. Of course, some people just like shooting things.
Despite the strong winds and sub-zero temperatures in Kanagawa, 10 participants gathered today, some from as far east as Yokohama. One person keeps a cage of howling dogs in the back of a beat-up old pickup truck, next to a Jeep and two brand-new trucks. Most of the participants are dressed like models from American camping magazines, and all carry shotguns.
“The technology isn't difficult, but people have to know the mountains,” he said, after explaining to others the day's route, the positions they would take, and the GPS units they would carry. said Koji Sekimata, a 25-year veteran hunter and group leader. into the trees.
“If you know where an animal sleeps and how it moves, you can predict where it will stand. That being said, I don't call people who only show up once in a while 'salaried hunters.' However, they often miss animals even when they are really close. ”
Mr. Sekimata, a large, strong and outspoken man, saw a change in his attitude towards hunting. He says, “Nowadays, young men are obsessed with the idea of getting rid of pests, and young women are more interested in game and want to get their own meat and eat it. Yes, it's only possible if you have the money and time.”
But about 70 percent of them dropped out after a short period of time, he says, “after this trend picked up steam a couple of years ago, around COVID-19.”
Further south, on the coast of Kanagawa Prefecture, Masato Hyakutake is an organic farmer who owns a lodge that houses volunteers who want to learn farming skills as part of a global opportunity for organic farming. Six years ago, he started hunting as a hobby near the Yugawara area, which is known for its delicious citrus fruits.
He considers hunting to be part of a sustainable lifestyle, and his main problem is the rampaging wild boars on his farm. “They destroy everything,” he says. “They eat all the mandarin oranges we grow, they munch on the fallen fruit, they eat the chestnuts that fall. If they go after the potatoes, they wipe out the fields.”
Unlike hunters, who enjoy the thrill of stalking and shooting, Hyakutake's main purpose is to protect crops, so he uses traps placed on trails frequented by animals. Beast pathor “the way of the beast.”
Hyakutake takes us to a nondescript area of shrubbery and trees that he says is the main route for wild boars and deer to cross his property. Trapping seems easier than hunting or tracking with dogs, but it still requires killing the animal, and since he doesn't have a gun license, he cuts the beast himself with a knife.
“It's dangerous in terms of the boar going crazy,” he says. “It's very grotesque and your intestines are going to pop out, so you have to have the mental toughness to overcome it. I'm used to filleting fish, but animals are on another level. In the summer, you get ticks and stuff like that. There are a lot of insects and the smell is very strong.”
Guests at Hyakutake's recent rooftop gathering included a real estate agent specializing in traditional Japanese houses, a yoga instructor, the owner of another guesthouse, and local students. Hyakutake prepared a huge barbecue of wild boar meat grilled with sweet sauce and vegetables grown on the farm.
“I'm interested in how people in the past got their food, and I want to show it to volunteer workers from all over the world,” he says. “It's similar to fishing, and the joy you get when you catch something. It's even more delicious because you caught it yourself. I'm thinking of making boar ham, bacon, and ramen chashu. [pork belly] Put it in the pot. ”
If the hunters themselves don't eat it, the slaughtered meat is sent to processing facilities and distributed to restaurants such as Momonji-ya, a hot pot restaurant in the middle of Tokyo's Ryogoku region. The restaurant is famous for feeding the highest concentration of sumo wrestlers in Japan.My favorite is Botan potor “peony pot”, boar meat arranged like flower petals, was heralded by numerous boar carcasses hung upside down outside the restaurant.
Amakara Kumakara, located in the center of Tokyo, is a new type of bistro that specializes in game meat sourced from all over the country. The small tavern serves dishes such as deer steak, wild boar sausage, and raw bear meat with pepper. Chef Ikuo Hayashi says that the reason gibier has become so popular these days is “basically because it's delicious,'' but that the mass production of meat is having a negative impact on the taste.
“Unless they are free-range, the animals are fed food such as corn that is mass-produced and grown using fertilizer. Factory birds can barely move and are given antibiotics to keep them from getting sick. The taste changes depending on that.”
Another factor is that “mass-produced meat is processed at the same age,'' Hayashi says.
“For beef and pork, it's about one to four years old, but for wild boar, it can be seven years old by the time you hunt it, so you have to adjust your cooking accordingly.”
It may sound like a bit of a hipster endeavor, but hunting with dogs has existed in Japan since the Jomon period (c. 10,000 BC to 300 BC). The earliest evidence of dog-human coexistence was discovered in a rock shelter in Ehime Prefecture, and dates back about 9,000 years.
Analysis of archaeological materials indicates that the hunting dog was small and resembled a Shiba Inu. Most Japanese dog breeds, such as the Akita, Shiba, Kishu, Shikoku, Kai, and Hokkaido dogs, were developed as hunting dogs to suit Japan's rural topography.
The cute and fashionable Shiba Inu is a popular dog meme on the internet and is traditionally a hunting or bird hunting dog. Known for their fluffy coat, adorable round face, and unwavering loyalty, the majestic Akita was historically used by Matagi subsistence hunters with roots in Tohoku Prefecture.
Matagi bear hunting still exists in rural northern Japan. They are part of a culture that dates back to the Muromachi period (1336-1573) and differ from regular hunters in that they have specific rituals and spiritual beliefs regarding mountain gods.
These hunters exist in remote mountainous areas of northern Honshu, and in villages such as Ani Village in Akita Prefecture. The drive took us along winding roads through lush valleys, and he met two Matagi at a traditional Ani ryokan, known for its bear meat hot pot.
Local hunters Hideo Suzuki (76) and Wataru Masuda (29) joined the family while attending university and moved to Akita to pursue a life of hunting, taking us deep into the mountains in their pickup truck. It was given to me. While driving, Suzuki explains that Matagi does more than just kill bears. Their actions are bound by spiritual belief systems. However, under Japanese law, both hunters and matagi require a license.
“The most important thing is that the mountain gods bless us,” Suzuki says. “Everything we catch we share within the clan. We weigh it and separate the entrails from the entrails because we consider it a gift from God. And if we sell the bear pelt, it's I divide it up because it's money for the team.The hospital is really far away, so internal organs, bones, and blood are used for medical treatment.
“From November until the New Year, we fight bears. When they hibernate, we hunt rabbits. When the March-April snow melts, the bears wake up with the budding of the beech trees. Forest. It's too crowded to hunt, so I gather wild vegetables during the summer, and then go fishing when it's the season for red trout.
Masuda says, “I didn't want to play golf every now and then while working at a company.'' That's not for me. We are in the mountains all year round, receiving blessings from the gods. If you want to live surrounded by clean water and nature, there is nothing more wonderful than becoming a matagi in Japan. ”
Bear hunting here is similar to hunting with dogs, except that humans send the bears to the top of the mountain, where armed groups are waiting for them.
“When I run, it disappears, and all the shadows look like bears,'' Masuda says. “They understand that they are black and can hide. They are ninjas.”
