Rare Photographs of Ainu People With Bears, Which They Consider to be Gods

The Ainu people, the indigenous people of northern Japan (mainly Hokkaidō, parts of the Kurils, and Sakhalin), have a deep and complex spiritual relationship with bears, particularly bear cubs, which is most famously expressed in a ceremony called iyomante (or iomante). This ritual is central to their worldview and history.

At the core of Ainu belief is the concept of kamuy, which can be translated as “deity” or “spirit.” Ainu people believe that the world is filled with kamuy who can take on physical forms, known as hayokpe or “armor,” to visit the human world. These kamuy can be animals, plants, or natural phenomena.

Bears, specifically the brown bears of Hokkaido, were considered one of the most important and powerful kamuy, often referred to as Kimun-kamuy (“the spirit-deity who governs the peaks”). The Ainu believed that the bear kamuy would visit their world, offering them valuable gifts like meat and fur in the form of its physical body.

The iyomante ceremony was a ritual to “send off” the spirit of the bear kamuy back to its world with gifts, ensuring that it would return again with future bounties. The ceremony's history dates back centuries, with archaeological evidence suggesting similar bear-sending ceremonies existed among earlier cultures in the region.

The ritual typically involved:

• Capturing a cub: In late winter or early spring, a bear cub would be captured from its hibernation den after its mother was killed.
• Raising the cub: The cub would be brought back to the village and raised with great care, often by a woman in the community. It was treated as a beloved member of the family, even being breast-fed by the woman until it was weaned. As it grew larger, it was moved to a cage. This period could last for one to two years.
• The ceremony: The main iyomante festival took place during winter. It was a community-wide event that lasted for several days and was filled with singing (upopo), dancing (rimse), and feasting. The purpose of these activities was to entertain the bear and ensure its spirit was happy before its departure.
• Ritual killing and offerings: The bear was ritually killed, typically by being strangled or shot with ceremonial arrows, with the belief that its spirit was being released from its physical “armor.” After its death, the Ainu would offer prayers and place many offerings, such as ceremonial sticks (inau), food, and other treasures, alongside the bear’s body. The bear’s skull was also decorated and placed on a sacred altar.
• Releasing the spirit: The gifts were meant to be taken by the kamuy back to its world, so it would return favorably and bring more gifts in the future. The ceremony was not a sacrifice in the traditional sense, but rather a respectful “sending off” of a revered guest.

The iyomante ceremony was a vital social and religious event for the Ainu, reinforcing their deep connection to nature and their spiritual beliefs. However, due to centuries of forced assimilation by the Japanese government, the practice of iyomante largely ceased by the mid-20th century. Today, it is no longer practiced, though its memory and significance remain a powerful part of Ainu cultural identity.