A very large carved wood bear, Japan, 20th C.

Dim.: 93 x 55 x 54 cm

Condition: Very good.

The Ainu are an ethnic group, distinct from the Japanese, that live today almost exclusively on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. They were traditionally hunters-gatherers and fishermen. They didn't practice rice farming like the Japanese. They hunted bear, sea otter, deer and other animals, gathered wild plants and fished for whales, seal lions, swordfish and salmon on the open seas until they were driven inland by the Japanese.