Vintage Japanese Ainu Bear Kuma w/ Salmon Signed Sugi Wood ~9" Usubata symbolizing strength

symbolizing strength

Height = 15”

At 68 inches tall and 56 inches wide

and bijin figure painting together represent the style at its most characteristic and commercially appealing

emphasizing function and durability over ornament

Vintage Japanese Ainu Bear Kuma w/ Salmon Signed Sugi Wood ~9" Usubata symbolizing strengthA finely hand carved wooden bear clutching a salmon in its jaws, a classic motif rooted in the traditions of the Ainu people of northern Japan. These sculpted bearsknown collectively as Horiguma () represent one of the most recognizable and beloved forms of Hokkaid folk art, merging spiritual reverence with regional craftsmanship. In Ainu cosmology, the bear (kimun kamuy, mountain god) was regarded as one of the most powerful deities, descending from