VTG Japanese Hokkaido Folk Art Hand Carved Bear With Salmon Fish RARE For Sale

RARE Vintage Hand Carved Japanese Ainu Kibori Kuma Wood Bear With Salmon Fish Hokkaido Folk Art Sculpture

Measurements : 5.5 Inches Tall x 8.5 Inches Long x 4 Inches Wide

This is a vintage "Kibori Kuma" (Japanese: 木彫り熊), Hand Carved Bear, a traditional Japanese rural craft originating mainly from the northern island of Hokkaido. 
These carvings are often associated with the Ainu people, the indigenous inhabitants of Hokkaido, who traditionally revered the bear as a deity. 
The bear is depicted in the classic pose of holding a salmon in its mouth, known as a "Shake Gui Guma".In Ainu spirituality, bears are revered as deities (Kim-un-kamuy) who bring gifts from the mountains. These carvings were traditionally created to express gratitude for nature's bounty.