Case file · Folklore / legend
Iomante, sending the bear god home
Edo-period paintings such as Hata Awagimaro's 'Ezo shima kikan' (1799) show the Ainu iomante, a ceremony that returns the spirit of a raised bear cub to the land of the kamuy.
1799 CE · 42.59, 142.13 · status: official
The account
The bear is believed to be a kamuy visiting in a fur coat; it is sent home with gifts so that it will tell the gods of human hospitality and return. Hokkaido banned the rite in 1955 and lifted the notice in 2007.