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Kibori kuma (木彫り熊)

Wood carved bear (Kibori no kuma) is a rural craft wood carving of a bear. Mainly produced in Hokkaido, known nationally as a representative Hokkaido souvenir.

It is also referred to as Kibori no kuma (木彫りの熊)

Written also as, -木彫りの熊-- and -木彫熊- and was once also called -熊彫-.

The common design depicts a brown bear standing on four legs with a chum salmon in its mouth; however, currently there are various designs.

To express the bear’s thick bristles, the surface is engraved in a hand-axed style.

History
The Owari Branch’s Tokugawa Yoshichika purchased a wood carved bear from Bern in Switzerland during his European travel from 1921(Taisho 10th) to 1922(Taisho 11th).

The following year, in 1923 (Taisho 12th), Tokugawa sent the wood carved bear to the “Tokugawa Farm” settled by the former Owari clan at Yakumo-cho in Futami-gun, Hokkaido, and suggested to the farmers working at the farm, and nearby to produce the bear as a source of income during the winter season. As a result, in 1924 (Taisho 13th) the wood carved bear first created in Hokkaido was displayed at the 1st Yakumo Rural Arts and Crafts Exhibition.

In 1927 (Shouwa 2nd) the wood carved bear won a prize at an exhibition, offered to Yasuhito Prince Chichibu, and in 1928 (Showa 3rd) a bear sculpture exhibition was held in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Yakumo’s reclamation, thus the yakumo’s wood carving bear gradually became known to the world, creating as much as 5,000 in the early Showa periods.

However, the production of wood carved bears in Yakumo-cho has declined, as of 2012, there only exists one manufacture. In April 25, 2012, Yakumo-cho’s local museum

In April 1, 2014, the renewed building pre-opened as a wood carving bear museum, where the wood carvings such as the original one Tokugawa brought from Switzerland and the 1st produced in Hokkaido among other prominent carvings are displayed.

On the other hand, in Asahikawa-shi, with the Ainu group’s Matsui Umetarou’s successful production of the wood carved bears lead to their acknowledgement as a prominent souvenir in 1926.

In 1936 (Showa Gan-nen) when the Showa Emperor visited Hokkaido in 1936, he was offered a wood carved bear each from Yakumo and Asahikawa.

Yoshichika Tokugawa
Yoshichika Tokugawa (Yoshichika Tokugawa / Gishin, October 5, 1886 - September 6, 1976) is the 19th owner of the Owari Tokugawa family, a member of the Marquis and the House of Lords before the war. Born in the Echizen Matsudaira family, a child of Matsudaira Yoshichika (Shungaku), became an adopted child of the Owari Tokugawa family in 1908, inherited the family coach. Upon relocation of the same family as Tokyo, he led the disposal of property such as land under Aichi prefecture, founded the foundation Tokugawa late dream association in 1931, Tokugawa Art Museum · Tokiwa Museum attached to the same foundation · Feng Save and publish in the library. He was also involved in the house management of other families, he was called "casting Owari Hou" "The genius of sponsorship".