I visited the reconstructed site of the Sankebetsu Brown Bear Incident, in which seven pioneers were killed
The site of the Sankebetsu Brown Bear Incident , known as the largest animal damage incident in Japan, has been restored to a tourist spot where the pioneer hut from that time and the brown bear that attacked it have been recreated. It is possible to view the site on Google Street View until just before the incident, but I thought that the atmosphere would be something that could only be understood by visiting the site, so I went there.
Sankebetsu Brown Bear Incident Reconstruction Site | Commerce, Labor and Tourism Division | Tomamae Town, Hokkaido
Summary of the Sankebetsu Brown Bear Incident | Commerce, Industry, Labor and Tourism Division | Tomamae Town, Hokkaido
http://www.town.tomamae.lg.jp/section/shokouroudou/lg6iib00000009m4.html
The Sankebetsu Brown Bear Incident was a wild animal attack that occurred on December 9th and 10th, 1915 (Taisho 4). The incident took place in Tomamae Village, Tomamae County (now Tomamae Town) in northwestern Hokkaido. The site has been recreated by Tomamae Town as the 'Sankebetsu Brown Bear Incident Reconstruction Site,' and the route along which it occurred, Prefectural Route 1049, has been given the name 'Bear Road.'
This time, we used the Kodanbetsu Bus Terminal in Tomamae Town as our base and headed south along Bear Road to the restoration site.
The Kotanbetsu Bus Terminal was built in 1987 when the Japanese National Railways Haboro Line was abolished and converted into a bus line.
On some buildings along the road, there were signs like this one with a picture of a mother bear and her cub that read 'Bear Road.'
A different design of the 'Bear Road' sign.
Bear Road runs along the Sankebetsu River, occasionally crossing the river on bridges as it heads upstream. About halfway along the road, you will come across Sankei Shrine on your left.
There is a memorial monument for the bear attacks on the grounds, on which the names of the seven victims are inscribed.
There was also a monument commemorating the pioneering days.
About two-thirds of the way through the journey, you will come to a bridge called Uchidomebashi that crosses the Sankebetsu River.
Here's the location.
On the south side of the bridge, there was a sign that said, '5km to the site,' and that the name 'Idome Bridge' comes from the fact that 'the first hit in the shooting of a giant bear was near this bridge.' Here, the Bear Road separates from the Sankebetsu River and runs along the Rupeshupenai River, a tributary of the river.
A sign reads, '2km to the site. Welcome to Kuma Arashi.'
Beyond the gate there is only one piece of farmland and the only other thing there is our destination, the Sankebetsu Brown Bear Incident Reconstruction Site.
Finally, we reach the entrance to the restoration site. The two-lane road up until this point has become one lane and is unpaved. There is a parking space at the back.
If you go straight, you will see a gate blocking the way. The parking space is on the right hand side.
The view from the front of the Kotanbetsu Bus Terminal to the restoration site on Bear Road looks like this. There are no traffic lights on the way, and it takes about 20 minutes to get there.
Overview of the site. It is quite far from residential areas, and the only sounds you can hear are the birds singing and the leaves rustling in the wind.
The following movie will give you a good idea of what the sound will be like locally.
A map of the area and an outline of the incident. Among the victims was a pregnant woman who cried out 'Please don't rip open my stomach' and 'Please eat my throat and kill me.'
There is a bear statue like this one right next to the guide map. It is not a very realistic sculpture, but when I caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of my eye, I was quite scared.
We follow the route on the guide map to see the site. This is the monument at the site of the incident.
It was built in 1990 by Tomamae Town and the Sankei Buraku Association.
The pioneer hut has been restored.
And a statue of a brown bear attacking a hut. It was said to be 2.7m tall and weighed 340kg.
The inside of the hut has also been recreated. Inside, the town of Tomamae has set up a visitor reception book for visitor surveys, so please be sure to sign in when you visit.
Once you cross the wooden bridge, you will come to Kumaana.
'Brown Bear Scratches.'
We kept quiet when filming the video so that the local atmosphere could be captured, but as this is an area where brown bears may appear, please take precautions by carrying something that makes noise to keep bears away.
The park is normally open from early May to the end of October, and is closed for 2024. It is scheduled to open in early May in 2025, but opening may be delayed depending on the snow melting.
In addition to
Amazon.co.jp: Bear Storm (Shincho Bunko): Akira, Yoshimura: Books
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