Monday, June 22, 2009

Bear Legends: The Sankebetsu brown bear incident

Sankebetsu Higuma jiken (三毛別羆事件)or Rokusensawa yūgai jiken (六線沢熊害事件) was the most significant case of bear aggression in Japanese history. It occurred between the 9th and the 14th of December, 1915 in Rokusen-sawa, Sankebetsu Tomamae, Rumoi, Hokkaidō. After awaking from hibernation, a large brown bear attacked houses on numerous occasions. Seven settlers were killed and three were seriously injured.


Initial sequence of events

Around dawn on a mid-November morning in 1915, a huge brown bear appeared in Ikeda (池田) family's house, located in a pioneering village called "Sankebetsu Rokusen-sawa", about 30 km inland from the west coast of Hokkaidō. The surprise encounter caused the family's breeding horse to act violently, and the bear left after stealing only harvested corn. In those days "Sankebetsu" was new land that only recently had been pioneered by settlers, and as such, raids by wild animals were not uncommon. On the 20th of the same month the bear appeared again. Worrying about the safety of the horse, the master of the Ikeda family called two Matagi from his own village and a neighbouring village and Kametarō (亀太郎), his second son. When the bear appeared for a third time they ambushed and shot him, but could not kill him. On the next morning they followed the bear's footprints, which led towards Onishika mountain (鬼鹿山 Onishsika yama?). Along the trail they discovered bloodstains, but eventually they had to abort the chase because of a snowstorm. They speculated that the bear then should have recognized the fear of human beings.

December 9

The tragedy of Ōta(太田) family

The reproduced Ōta famil's house
The reproduced Ōta famil's house
A large brown bear at a zoo in Germany
A large brown bear at a zoo in Germany

In the pioneering village, farmers were busy from autumn to winter with the many works of harvesting crops. In villages like Sankebetsu, works depended on the manpower. As such, men had to leave their homes each day to complete the tasks required to set up the village. On December 9th at ten thirty a.m., the giant brown bear appeared at Ōta family's house again, aiming to partake more dried corn. It is speculated that the bear accidentally knocked down a wall of the lean-to house. Through the hole in the wall, he saw the members of the Ōta family. The occupants of the house were Abe Mayu (阿部マユ), a companion to the man in the house, and Hasumi Mikio (蓮見幹雄), an infant who was left with the Ōta's house. They shuddered in fear and screamed, but this only attracted his attention. He attacked them. Mikio was bitten in the head, and died. Throwing firewood, Mayu resisted desperately and tried to escape, however her strength was no match for the adult brown bear. She was overtaken and was knocked down, and was trailed along to the forest by him. In the bedroom, there was a lot of blood.
Nagamatsu Youkichi (長松要吉), nicknamed Odo(オド), a lumber・jack and boarder at the house, discovered the tragedy when he returned to the house for his lunch break. Hearing news the other men, who were building an ice bridge over the Sankebetsu river, ran to the scene, and were deeply shocked. The villagers congregated at the Miyoke (明景) family's house which is located near the lower part of the river. After the discussion, Saitō Ishigorō (斉藤石五郎) undertook the role of contacting public officers and the police, Yasutarō, a head of Miyoke family, took on the role of comtacting the Hasumi (蓮見) family, the parents of Mikio. As a guest of the Miyoke family, Odo took a role of sojourn there.

December 10

Search

Early morning, Saitō Ishigorō and Miyoke Yasutarō left the village. In order to capture the brown bear and accommodate the body of Mayu, a search party consisting of thirty men was organized, and they went into the forest. At the point where they advanced about 150 meters into the woods, they met the brown bear. Five men shot at the bear, but they were poor shots.Onlyone managed to hit the bear. For the raging bear, they became part, but fortunately, the bear transferred to the escape, they didn't suffer damage. They searched the neighborhood once more, and detect the area of snow on the foot of an abies sachalinensis, which was dyed blood, and under there discovered the corpus of Mayu that was remaining only head and part of legs.
It was proved that the brown bear attacked Ōta family, and became a brute animal that eats human being.

Recharge to the Ōta family

The brown bear got a taste of the meat of the human being. The reason why he tried to hide the body of Mayu in the snow was that he attempted to make her body preserved foods.it Bears do this in order to store food during times of scarcity. The village folks who knew the bear's habits, gathered at the Ōta family's home with guns. Around 8 o'clock at night, the bear appeared again. Although the villagers anticipated the bear's return, they panicked nevertheless. However, somehow a man shot the bear. By the time the 50 subduing corps which stood 300 meters away at the house next door came there, the bear had already disappeared. Fortunately, there were no victims. For once back in Miyoke's house, they headed for the down of stream. However, nobody anticipated following tragedy was waiting them.

The tragedy of the Miyoke (明景) family

The news of Ōta family tragedy was passed on to the Miyoke family. The women and children sought refuge there, feared and spent time generating fire at the hearth. The bodyguards left to eat dinner, and upon hearing the news that the brown bear made appearances, they left. The brown bear, having escaped from the Ōta family, then went to Miyoke family house. Yayo (ヤヨ) who is Miyake Yasutarō's wife and preparing a midnight snack and carrying fourth son Yoshio on her back, heard something sound at the pit. At the same time Yayo was surprised at a rumble of the ground and a raised voice, the brown bear broke a window and thrust into the house. The cauldron of the hearth on the floor was turned over and the flame disappeared, the light of the lamp vanished too in the panic, it became dark. Yayo tried to run away to outdoors, but was clung to Yūjirō (勇次郎), second son, and fell down. The brown bear attacked her and bit Umekichi (梅吉) who was carried by her. Odo remained there as the only bodyguard. The bear then noticed Odo, who ran for the door step. The bear then left the mother and child. In the moment Yayo could escape there with her children. Odo who was pursued by the bear tried to hide in the furniture, but he could not and was scratched on the lower back by the bear's claws. The bear beat Kinzō (金蔵), the third son of Miyoke family, and Haruo (春義), the forth son of Saito (斉藤) family, to death in a blow, and bit Iwao (巌), third son of Saitō family, and beat down him on the floor. In the situation, Take (タケ) who was Saitō Ishigorō's (斉藤石五郎) wife lifted a neck. She was found and targeted by him. For approaching him, she make suit as “Please help only a baby in my stomach, please, please,...Oh...no...no...Ah...Ah...Come on...Go away...”, but he didn't accept her imploring and mercilessly attacked her, and began to eat her from the upper half of body. The subduing corps went downstream, guessed at the strange atmosphere and hurried. Seriously injured Yayo arrived there, and informed everyone about the incident at Miyoke family's house. The subduing corps protected Odo and rolled up the Miyoke family's house. But they could not carelessly step into the darkness in the house. From it they heard the groan of the what appeared to be Take, and then just quiet. Then they heard the bear eating meat and crunching bone. They thought all men were killed then should set fire to the house, but Yayo hoping the children were alive, opposed this action. The subduing corps divided into two group, one, which consisted of ten hunters stood guard at the door, and the other group went to the backside of the house. In the sign of the blank, the person who moved around to the back shouted and threatened a brown bear. As expected, the brown bear appeared in front of the men who waited at the front door of the house. The man who was at the head tried shoot but it was miss fire again. Rather, the man has become a form which stays on in front of the brown bear, thence the other men could not spurt the bear, while the bear disappeared. Having torch of bark of white birch, they entered Miyoke family house, and saw woeful predicament. There were spread sea of the blood, and two cruelly bitten babies and the corpse of Take. They were shocked saw cruel sight, and remained only the men who campaigned to the Russo-Japanese War. The stomach of Take who was bitten in the upper part of body, was torn and the a fetus was dragged out, but strange to say the bear not chomped him, and the fetus moved. Iwao bitten by the bear was severely-diseased but lived. It was thought that the fact that Rikizo (力蔵), first son of Miyoke family and Hisano (ヒサノ), first daughter of the same relatives, were without moving, made good, they are alive. All village peoples gathered in branch school, and seriously-injured persons were accommodated in Tsuji (辻) family house where located in ower part of river. Nevertheless Iwao who bitten by the bear, was breathless. In two days six people's lives were robbed. Seven lives were robbed when including a fetus.

Hunter and "Kesagake"

It is thought that the service cap which Yamamoto  covered was such one.
It is thought that the service cap which Yamamoto covered was such one.

On the other side, Saitō Ishigorō didn't know the tragedy of one's family, made report of administrative institution and district police station and came back to Tomakomai and got settled at a hotel. Miyoke Yasutarō heard Yamamoto Heikichi (山本兵吉)'s rumor, that he was the adept of brown bear shooting, and visit his house. Yamamoto had the experience which campaigned to the Russo-Japanese War and always covered a service cap[1]. He felt sense in his bones the bear was nicknamed the diagonal slash from the shoulder (袈裟懸け Kesagake?) which formally killed and eat three women. However then Yamamoto pawned the gun and got hold of money to drink, he turned thumbs down Yasutarō's request. Under unavoidable circumstances Yasutarō stayed in Onishika (鬼鹿), now Odairachō (小平町), with not knowing his family's disaster, he went bed.

December 11

Miyoke Yasutarō and Saitō Ishigorō backed to Sankebetsu. Wondering how the village folks gather in the branch school at lower part of river, the two men knew the tragedy of the family to have left at the house. Two men lamented and lashed themselves into a fury. Being can not leave the escaped brown bear, the handpicked team was formed and two men volunteer for the team. As attack for Ōta family, they thought the brown bear appear again from habit, and the team went to Miyoke family house that was left as yesterday evening. They lay in wait at sky parlor, but exerted themselves to no purpose.

December 12

The news of appearance in Sankebetsu contacted the Hokkaidō Government Office, under the leading of Hoboro village (羽幌村) (now: Hoboro town) branch police station, sniper team was set up an organization. From near villages guns was gathered and applicant for the team was gathered, and getting human cooperation, from the Imperial Forestry Agency (帝室林野局 Teishitsu Rinya kyoku?)(now:Rin'ya chō) too, the sniper team went Sankebetsu at vespertide. The chief inspector Suga (菅), the branch office commissioner, went up the Rokusen sawa to aim Miyoke family house in order to recognize the state of the team and in midstream met all who got off the mountain pass. However the brown bear did not appear. If thinking of the future, the team which must exterminate a bear even if mobilize every possible means, considered many way, and resulted in some conclusion. The brown bear should try to retrieve a game. But in Miyoke family house there was not the game. Then, one plan was proposed. Every men hate this idea, and especially the each family head of Ōta, Saitō, and Miyoke family suppressed a wide range of thoughts, but for future or village and to achieve a revenge, decided distress. By this means, the unprecedented attempt to lure out the brown bear to the gudgeon in the corpse of the victim.
Within this day, the strategy was executed. In sniper team added Yamamoto Heikichi, once turned thumbs down request, the team was constituted of six members. In the putrid smell of the corpse, which was put on the sitting room, they waited on the beam. At midnight they waited for the chance of the shooting the approaching brown bear appear from forest. However , the brown bear stopped walk and guarded against the inside of the house. Then he turned and returned to the forest. Moreover, they ambushed, but the brown bear not appeared again, the strategy ended in the failure.

December 13

the rifle which was sold to the civilian and usually used in Japan
the rifle which was sold to the civilian and usually used in Japan
The pillow which is for women
The pillow which is for women

At the crack of dawn, the outfit who searched the whole village discovered that the Ōta family's house was three degrees ruined. He ate the food to have reserved for the staying over winter and the persistently rampaged trace was seen indoors. In this day, Suga made a feeling strong by the cheering from the village outside and the fact that 60 guns reached, moved hunting in the mountain to the execution, coinstantaneously started the stopping work of building ice bridge on Miboubetsu river for which secure the aisle to the Rokusen sama.
On the other hands, the brown bear ruined each house that the villager was absent. He killed and ate a bred chicken and searched for the food, and tore clothes and bedding. Curious to say he abnormally interested in the pillow which the woman used. Except Yamamoto nobody could understand why the bear showed such a fetishistic interest . But only Yamamoto knew the bear's extraordinary proclivity, he strongly convinced that the brown bear of this case was "Kesagake". The houses which encountered damage was more than eight, but Yamamoto, joined in the hunting team or did a sole-behavior, could not discover the brown bear. Houever, supposed from the way of acting violently, the action of kesagake had begun to lack prudence. When the game that got a taste was not found out, such as regardless of daytime, stepped into the house boldly, his wariness faded away. His action area stretches gradually to down the stream, and he could not recognize the rise of the discovered risk. The police captain Suga understood the situation, and made an ice bridge a line of defense, then arranged snipers and put up guards. In addition, at the night, a sniper took guard at the bridge, felt to something exist at shadow of the stumps on the opposite shore. Counting the number, they are clearly one more than the number of the stumps, and it faintly changing. The police captain Suga who received information, thought it was a shadow of man, but they speak to it aloud but there was not a reply. Under shooting direction, drastically snipers let off guns from the opposite shore or on the bridge. Then the shadow started moving and disappeared under the darkness. Someone regretted to have failed in the kill and said All in all it was 'Kesagake' , but the police captain sensed a response.

December 14

The team who waited opening of the day and investigated an opposite shore, and found the footprint and the bloodstain of the brown bear there. If he was hit by a bullet, his action is dull. They looked up the sky which begun snowstorm. While the footprint can be confirmed with the snow, the decision to send a subduing corps quickly was given. It was Yamamoto who took Ikeda Kamejirou  (池田亀次郎) to the guide that entered a mountain immediately. He who didn't like the group behavior that the pace becomes late, and was afraid that the snowfall have erased footprints. Yamamoto who was familiar with Kesagake's gray experience, detect the gait of him which to tray deceives a pursuing party, crabways went in the downwind side, and approached a target quietly. Kesagake caughted by the tree of the Japanese oak and were resting a body. His note was paid to the subduing corps which climbs a foot, and didn't notice the existence of Yamamoto who approached him in the hiding. Yamamoto approached about 20 meter, hided a body in the tree of Ulmus davidiana once and held a gun. And i freezing air, the report of a gun affected. The bullet of the first exactly shot hit the heart of Kesagake, and Yamamoto loaded the following bullets immediately, and the second bullet shot gunned down his head.The thing which the men in the urgently running subduing corps saw, was the stiff of the devil to have made people in the village be afraid. While the snowstorm increases speed suddenly, the corpus was carried to the foot. Right in front of the huge figure which reaches 380 kg weight, 2.7 m of height, the people of Rokusen sawa blowed one's top. After it when Kesagake was dissected, a lot of peace of the victim are found out from his breadbasket, and the village people made sadness new. A cranium and a fur were left, but they were completely lost later, no traces are left now.

After it

Yayo, who was injured on the head, made a full recovery. But Miyoke Umekichi, who was bitten by the bear, as carried by mother, suffered from the aftereffects for two years and eight months and dead. Odo recovered from injury and returned to the work, but next spring fell to a river and died. It was not certain that the wound which was suffered by the brown bear had influenced the accident. After miserable case, the village peoples of Rokusen sawa leaved thick and fast, for the last time, the colony resulted in the unmanned place. At the time of the case, Ōkawa Haruo, who was son of Sankebetsu village mayo and when at the case was seven years, grew up and became an excellent bear hunter. The reason why he became a hunter was that he swore an oath which kills 10 bears per victim. At the time which killed 102 to 62 years, he retired, and reared the bear harm cenotaph (熊害慰霊碑 En-gai irei-hi?) for which prays in the passing away villager, and Takayoshi, who was Haruyoshi's son, in 1980 after eight year chase hunted the brown bear with 500 kg weight who gaved a nick name with the north sea Tarō (北海太郎 Hokkai Tarō?) .

The record of the case

From 1961, The agriculture and forestry technical officer (農林技官 Nōrin gikan?), Kimura Moritake (木村盛武), who was working in the district forest office in Asahikawa (旭川) Kotanbetsu (古丹別), stated the examination in order to leave a case as the record. Forty six years already passed, and little materials was left, Kimira traced the people who lived in Sankebetsu in those days, and did a careful hearing. Many of the party was deceased already, and lot of surviving people were not cooperative to the coverage to remind the past not to want to remember. This was reprinted in 1980, and in 1994 published as The valley of lamentation : The Devil's Valley (『慟哭の谷---The Devil's Valley』 Dōkoku no Tani: the Devil's Valley?) by Kyōdō bunkasha (共同文化社). Also Yoshimura Akira, Japanese novelist, gathered information about this case, and wrote in his novel. On research he heard the information from who lived there in those days.

The analysis of the case

It was thought that the tragedy was the case, what is called the animal which doesn't possess a hole (穴持たず Anamotazu?), the bear which failed in the hibernation, became hungry and increased a ferocity. However, after it in winter, there was little accident that the brown bear make a raid human, in these years a lot of question is presented to this theory. From end of Edo era, pioneers continued deforestation for the use the firewood when processing a herring in making fish manure, and reclaimed an inland from the beginning of Meiji era. In such a situation, it is thought that the case which the result with the overlapping element of the wild animal and the [uman being caused.

The memory of the case

Signboard of "Bear road"
Signboard of "Bear road"

In Rokusen sawa where tragedy was occurred, now there are The restored status of Sankebetsu bear herm (三毛別羆事件復元現地 Sankebetsu Kuma jiken fukugen genchi?) which restored as those days by Townsmen. In the area which is luxuriantly overgrown with the trees, there are the restored house which reproduced life in those days, the signboard where a case is explained, and the image of the brown bear which tries to struck at the house. The place is ahead of the shooting up bridge (撃ち止め橋 Uchidome bashi?) which spans a Sankebetsu river, It is in the place to go about 16 kilometers to the south on the Hokkaidō road number 1049 (北海道道1049号 Hokkaidō 1049 gō?) from (古丹別 Kotanbetsu?) intersection on the national road number 239 (国道239 Kokudō 239 gō?).

2 comments:

  1. You should include the info about the anime.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh yeah. This was adapted into a live-action anime. From wikipedia:

    1990: Remains: Beautiful Heroes (リメインズ 美しき勇者たち, Rimeinzu: Utsukushiki Yūshatachi?)  Sonny Chiba (director), Hiroyuki Sanada, Mika Muramatsu, Bunta Sugawara (main actor)

    Also known as "Yellow Fangs"

    Check out the cover and tell me you don't want to watch it.

    http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/images/2852fang.jpg

    ReplyDelete