Matagi
As Matagi ( Jap. 又鬼 ) is called the traditional profession of winter hunter who in the Tohoku region of northern Japan and there, especially in the Shirakami-Sanchi -Forest between Akita and Aomori was exerted and is still occasionally still.
etymology
The word "Matagi" seems to come from the Ainu language and refers to matangi or matangitono , which can be translated as "man of winter" or just "hunter".
Way of life
The Matagi hunt bears and other game such as deer, rabbits or ducks and pull cultural spices from the bear cult of the Ainu , the original inhabitants of Japan, whose descendants still live in the north of the country today. Matagi live in small villages in the vast beech forests of Tohoku, where they practice agriculture and farming over the summer months. In winter and early spring they go out in hunting parties, which sometimes spend several weeks at a stretch in the forest on the prowl.
The profession was traditionally passed on from the adult Matagi to his children, a specialized school or training facility never existed in this form for the profession. Even acquaintances or neighbors of a Matagi were usually not trained as successors, only direct descendants were considered.
After the introduction of hunting rifles in the 20th century, the need for a large hunting party for bear hunting disappeared, which in turn led to a decrease in the number of matagi. Nowadays, only a few people are still active in the profession of matagi, although the cultural opening in recent years has increased interest among young people.
The arsenal of a Matagi includes a multitude of objects of traditional hunting weapons, including the Fukuronagasa , an often hand-made knife for bear hunting, and the Monmebakari , a specialized scale for weighing the gall bladder of a hunted bear.
History and situation today
Reports by Matagi are documented up to the Middle Ages, but the profession still exists today. Environmentalists often had a dispute with the hunters, as the former hunting grounds in the forest had already been partially hunted empty. Protected species such as the Japanese serau are no longer hunted, but bear hunts are still the order of the day. A special hunting license is required as a Matagi. Many words from the Ainu language can be found in the hunter's language. In general, when hunting there is a special language with many separate vocabulary for things or conditions otherwise known in everyday life, comparable for example to the pidgin of mine workers, in order to stimulate a feeling of togetherness by controlling the language.
Most of the Matagi villages are now in Nishitsugaru and Nakatsugaru , as well as in Aomori , Kitaakita , Senboku , Waga , Iwate , Nishiokitama , Tsuruoka , Yamagata , Murakami , Nakauonuma , Niigata and Nagano .
Processing in literature and film
Notable examples in literature include the biographical novel Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain by Martha Sherrill, which describes a real-life Matagi named Uesugi who, as a friend of the main characters, helped the breed of dogs To preserve Akita , which was used extensively for hunting in the past.
The adventure film Der Bärenfänger from 1987 should also be mentioned. This is about Matagi Ginzo, who in the 1920s as a member of a dying profession had to fight with remorse and cultivated the relationship with his grandson while raising a bear cub together.