Hokkaido Japanese Wood Carving – Bear with Salmon

Hand-Carved Wood from Hokkaido, Japan | Bear with Salmon in Its Jaws, Large Carved Display Piece

A bear and a salmon, capturing the most iconic natural scene of Hokkaido. In the traditional folk crafts of Hokkaido, the "bear with a salmon in its jaws" is a highly recognizable woodcarving subject. The bear's heavy body, powerful limbs, and the salmon clamped tightly in its mouth convey the vitality of Hokkaido's wildlife, while reflecting the unpretentious beauty of local woodcarving craft. This large carving pairs a deep brown wood tone with dense, fine chisel work that renders the bear's fur and muscular contours as well as the scales of the salmon. The overall form is lively and full-bodied, combining the rugged spirit of Japanese folk craft with the appeal of natural-subject art. (Marks from the making process; there is a crack in the wood on the inner side of a leg.)