A hunter and his wife in Akiyama-go: village deep in mountains 4/5 (published in 1983＆1992) 、 秋山郷に生きた猟師とその妻 (part 4)
Contents 目次
（２）Gambling—another Kametaro’s pleasure
（３）Harue’s pleasures
６．Looking Back on Life、半生を振り返る (part 5)
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| Bear hunting、熊猟 |
５．Fun of life in Akiyama-go
（１）Bear hunting—likely Kametaro’s greatest pleasure
He doesn't say, ” It was fun to hunt bears", but we can
know how he likes hunting from the interview.
Hunters pursue bears during winter and spring, because the
gallbladders are largest. Those sell for a high price. They aim carefully to
avoid hitting the gallbladder with their bullets. Before the season, they hunt
rabbits and birds.
When taking a stand to shoot a bear which is driven toward
him by his companions, he explains: "If a bear is approaching, it’ll come
right to me as long as I stay quiet; I have to let it get close and then
settle the matter with a single shot. We mustn't fire twice. Since it’s
right in front, we can target the exact spot, so we aim carefully and take it
down with one shot."
Kametaro is a skilled hunter who has bagged hundreds of
bears. He
speaks passionately about hunting. The essential things are learning the
mountain's features and doing the techniques of hunting animals. The last thing
is understanding animals themselves. No one tells us; we must hunt many of them
and let them teach us.
He even faced mortal danger. He had to fire backward
while being pursued by a wounded bear that had two child bears.
It was a bear his older brother—who had little hunting
experience—had shot and wounded; Kametaro was carrying a spear at that moment.
"The brute burst out of its den. I reached for my gun, and the movement
drew it straight toward me. I managed to grab it, but I had my back turned to
the bear.
That’s just how I ended up positioned. Luckily, it was a Grena
rifle—once loaded, it’s ready to fire instantly. The bear closed in—it was
less than two meters away—and reared up right behind me.
I could feel its breath on me. There was no time to turn around
or aim properly. So, still not changing position, I pointed the gun behind me
and fired— “bang”. The brute dropped hard right there. It was bound to hit;
after all, I’d fired with the muzzle practically attached on the bear’s body.
Anyone would hit at that range." It was a hair-raising escape.
He fired a shot at a child bear and said, "Well, that
went well. Anyway, let me have a smoke; while I’m having a puff, you two go
ahead and bag another one." But the bear were going away—his companions'
shots were missing. In the end, Kametaro took down all three of them. "That
was the most exciting, and the best moment of my life," he recalls,
"and at the same time, the most terrifying."
He loves hunting. He also loves fishing for *iwana*
(char).
Even with a massive *iwana*—one so motionless you might
mistake it for your hook snagged on a fallen tree—he says, "Eventually, it
starts jerking. Hauling one of those up onto the snow used to be a thrill.
Not anymore, though. Things changed once the roads opened
up. Fish these days... you just pull, and they slide right up. There’s no fun
in that. It was a real contest—either I win, or the fish snaps the
line and escapes. Unless it’s a huge fish that puts up a proper tug-of-war,
it’s just not interesting."
Kametaro also speaks in detail about other matters: his
beloved dogs—the "Aka" family, his trusted companions; the
"bear-hauling song" sung when dragging a catch back to the village;
and the celebrations and distribution of the meat upon arrival. Through these
stories, it is clear just how satisfied he was and how much he enjoyed those
times.
（２）Gambling—another Kametaro’s pleasure
When staying in the mountains for hunting trips, the men
would gamble at night. It was a simple game played with a single die.
In the villages, gambling dens would open during
festivals, featuring “cho-han” (even-or-odd) dice games. Harue
recalls, "After I’d married him—I think it was when we went to my parents'
home for a festival—that boss showed up. The day after the festival, a group of
the guys who loved to gamble gathered at my parents' place. My husband ended up
losing everything—I don't know exactly how much he’d put down. So, he borrowed
money from my older brother and bet again. He won that time, paid back the
loan, and still had a profit." (The fact that the gambling took place at
Harue's parents' house and her brother lent him the money is quite something.)
There was even a man who lost so heavily, he had to sell his
clothes and go home in nothing but underpants.
Kametaro once angered Harue by gambling away the money; it was for
the glutinous rice used to make okowa (steamed sticky rice) for the
festival. Still, Harue notes that while he certainly loved to gamble, it
was mostly limited to the festivals held in the various villages of Akiyama-go,
so "I was able to bear it."
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| Peeling horse chestnuts with neighbors、ご近所と一緒に栃剥き |
（３）Harue’s pleasures
Many of the simple, feminine pleasures found in everyday
life, are written.
During her girlhood, she recalls the roasted pumpkin
seeds and soybeans served when neighbors gathered to peel horse chestnuts. She
said she was eager to eat them.
She also cherishes memories of a pinch of brown sugar she
received as a reward for massaging her grandfather’s shoulders in evening. And
the botamochi (rice cakes) served during higan around the time of
equinox—salt was in it instead of sugar.
The moments of wearing a brand-new outfit to visit the
shrine at New Year’s, or buying a rubber hozuki toy at a festival were
her fun things. She had been given a coin as pocket money.
At 15, she went to the city for seasonal work; her world
expanded. She bought a kimono sash (obi) with the money she
earned while working as a babysitter at a diner in Nagano City.
"I was just so happy—overjoyed, really—that I kept it
right by my pillow while I slept. I’d never have been able to get a sash like
that back home. That’s when I truly felt glad that I’d gone out to work."
The appeal of material things was powerful and inevitable; she
gradually acquired more items, such as kimonos, *geta* sandals, and cosmetics.
At 24, she worked in Ginza district, Tokyo. Although it was
wartime, she was able to taste sugar. She recalls a festival she visited in
Toranomon: "It was my first time at a place like that. Everything was so
novel and exciting that I got caught up looking at this and that, and ended up
getting back to the shop late."
However, after returning to Akiyama-go and marrying
Kametaro, she consumed by the demands of daily life—food, clothing, shelter,
and child-rearing. It was a harsh existence.
Harue speaks most lively about the celebrations held when
Kametaro brought home a bear.
Hunters fired blanks in the slope above the village and
descended while singing the "Bear-Hauling Song"; everyone came out
and gathered.
The bear was hauled to the home of the person who had first
spotted it. (The distribution of the catch worked as follows: the
spotter received ten percent, the shooter got one or two thousand yen, and the
remainder was divided equally among all the hunters.) At that house, homemade
"bear liquor" was served, which is either doburoku (unrefined
sake) or shochu distilled from it.
They skinned and butchered the bear right there on the snow.
First, they removed the valuable gall bladder. As for the meat and bones, they
would sell them if there were buyers; otherwise, the hunters would divide the
haul among themselves.
Next came an expression of gratitude to the Mountain God. "Since
we’d caught a bear—a gift from the Mountain God—we’d offer sake to the deity,
boil the innards, and share a drink together while we ate."
People in poor health took the blood collected during the
butchering and drank it (In Harue's case, she pinched her nose, gulped it down,
and immediately washed it down with water).
Bear hunting was a source of income, a source of enjoyment,
and the very axis of their lives.
Another topic Harue speaks lively is the growth of the
children. She talks about the eldest daughter—born to her husband’s
first wife—, as well as the career of her own daughter. Meanwhile, the eldest
son has taken over the family home and works as a farmer while also being
employed by the forestry cooperative.
It is easy to picture the expression on her face as she
said, "We didn't really do anything special, but they all grew up fine—so
I suppose things turned out just right, didn't they?"
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| Bear-Hauling by hunters、熊曳き |
５．秋山郷で生きた楽しみ
（１）熊猟は、多分、亀太郎の最大の楽しみ
「楽しい」とは語っていないが、語りぶりから容易に想像できる。
猟師たちは、熊の胆が大きくなる冬や春に熊猟をする（それまでは兎や鳥を撃つ）。胆に銃弾が当たらないように狙う。
仲間が追い込んだ熊を撃つ矢場に立つ時は、“来るクマだったら、ポツポツポツと歩いて、音立てねえでいれば来るから、そうして傍に寄せといて一発勝負でやらなけばなんないんだ。二発とうっちゃ駄目なんだ。近く来たとこだら、ぶとうとする所をぶたれるわけだから、よく見当みて（よく狙って）一発で倒す。”と語る。
亀太郎は、熊を何百頭も獲ったという腕利きの猟師だ。彼は、熊猟の全てを熱く語っている。山を覚える、熊のとり方を覚える、ケダモノのことはケダモノを数獲ってケダモノから覚える、と言う。
危ない目にもあっている。子持ちで手負いの熊に迫られ後ろ向きで撃ったのだ。猟の経験が少ない兄が撃って手負いにした熊で、亀太郎はヤライ（槍）を持っていた。
“野郎へえ穴をとび出した。そしてオラが自分の鉄砲にとびついたんで、オラが動いたもんで、オラの方へズッツとくる。オレは鉄砲つかんだんだが、クマにはケツ向けてるんだ。
ちょうどそういう恰好になっちゃったんだわ。あの鉄砲がグレナだかったんだ。カツッといれれば、へえこれでぶたれるんだ。クマはオレとこに来て、まあ一間（1.8ｍ）もなかったな、オレが後きて立ちかかる。
息が吹っかかる位ホッホとくる。オラもう体の向きなんて変えてらんねえ、向きかえて鉄砲構える暇なんてねぇんだもの。それで後向きのまま、鉄砲後に向けてトーンとやった。そうしたところが野郎いい接配にドタッ。あれ当るさ、あれ何しろ鉄砲クマの体にくっつけてぶったみてえもんだもの。あれなら誰だって当る “。
危機一髪だった。
仔熊に一発撃って、“まあ いかった うまいこった まあとにかくオレに一服吸わせろや オレ一服吸うから お前ら二人であと一つぶてや”と言ったのに、熊が逃げていく。仲間の弾が当たらないのだ。結局、亀太郎が３頭とも仕留めた。
“あれがまあオレの一番面白い最高だったな、それでまた一番おっかない最高だったな。”と回想する。
彼は猟が好きなのだ。イワナ釣りもそうだ。
倒木に針が引っかかったかと思うほど動かないような大きなイワナでも“そのうちガクガクガクっとやり始めるから。あれ雪の方にひっぱり上げるの面白かったな。今は駄目だ。道がひらけてから、もうとても駄目になった。今の魚なんて、ひっぱればペロンと上がっちゃう。あれ面白くねぇな。やっぱりあれオレが勝つか魚が糸切って逃げるかでもってやらないと、ひっぱりっこするようなでかい魚でねえと面白くねぇな。”
他にも、愛犬で盟友のアカ親子、熊を集落に曳いて帰るときの熊曳き歌、集落に着いてからの祝い、分配などを亀太郎は詳しく語っていて、彼が満足し、楽しく過ごした時間がよくわかる。
（２）バクチも亀太郎の楽しみ
猟で山に泊まるときはバクチをした。サイコロ一つを使う単純な遊びだ。
村では、祭りの時に賭場が開かれた。丁半バクチだ。ハルエが思い出を語る。
“私があの人と一緒になってから、上ノ原の祭で、実家に一緒に行った時だかったけどさ、やっぱりその親分が来てたんだよ。それで祭の次ぐの日、上ノ原の私の家で、好きな人がみんな寄ってやったんだよ。そうしたら、あの人は、いくらぶったんだか知らねえけど、みんなとられちゃった。それで、私の兄にお金借りて、またぶったわけ。そうしたら、それがうかって、当たってさ、借りた金返して、それでもまだ幾らだか儲かったんだよ。”という工合だ（ハルエの実家で賭博をし、兄が金を貸したというのが何とも）。
負けて服を売り、フンドシ一枚で帰った人もいる。
亀太郎は、祭りの日のオコワに使う糯米を買う金をバクチですってハルエを怒らせたこともあった。とにかく、バクチは好きだが、秋山郷の各集落の祭りでするぐらいなので“私も我慢できたけど”とハルエはいう。
（３）ハルエの楽しみ
普段の生活の中での女性らしい楽しみが多く書かれている、
少女時代は、隣近所が集まって行う栃剥きで出されるカボチャの種や大豆の豆煎り。“食べたくって、食べたくって”と思い出を語る。夜に祖父の肩たたきをした時の褒美の一つまみの黒砂糖、お彼岸のぼた餅（塩を入れ甘くない）も楽しみ。新調してもらった服を着て正月にお宮に行く時、祭りで一銭しかもらえない小遣いでゴムのホオズキを買う時。
15歳になって、冬働きで都会へ行くと世界が広がった。長野市の食堂で子守をした時に買った名古屋帯。“それがもう、うれしくて、うれしくてねえ、その夜は枕元へ置いて寝たよ。だって、そんな帯、欲しいったって家では買ってもらえねえんだもの。で、まあ、これはほんとうに旅に出てよかったなあと思った”。
モノの魅力は強烈だ。着物や下駄、化粧品と買い増していく。
銀座に行った時は24歳。戦時中だったが砂糖を口にできた。虎ノ門の縁日の思い出を、“そんなとこ初めてだからね。珍しいし、面白くなっちゃって、あれだこれだ見ていたら、遅くなっちゃったの”と語る。
しかし、実家に戻り、亀太郎と結婚すると衣食住と子育てに追われる。厳しい生活だ。
ハルエが生き生き語るのは亀太郎が熊を獲ってきたときの祝い。
猟師たちが集落の上で空砲を撃ち、熊曳き歌を歌いながら集落へと下ってくると、みんな出てくる。
熊は、見つけた人の家へ引っ張っていく（熊の分配は、見つけた人が一割、撃った人が千円か二千円、あとはみんな平均割り）。その家では、自家製の熊酒（ドブロクや、それを蒸溜した焼酎）を出す。
雪の上で皮むいて、腑分け。まず、高価な胆を取り出す。肉や骨は買いに来る人があれば売って、なかったら仲間で分ける。
続いて、山の神への感謝だ。“クマがとれたんだから、これは山の神の授かりものなんだから、山の神様にお酒を上げて、それで臓腑を煮て、それを食べながら仲間で一杯やるわけ”。腑分けの時に出た血は、体の弱い人が貰って飲んだ（私は鼻つまんで流し込んで、すぐ水飲んだ）。
熊猟は、収入であり、楽しみであり、暮らしの軸だ。
ハルエが生き生きと語るもう一つの出来事は、子どもの成長。前妻の子の長女とその子、次女の仕事を語る。長男は、家を継いで森林組合に勤めながら百姓をしている。
“ワシラ何もしたわけじゃねえが、みんな仕上がったんだから、これでいかったってもんじゃねえかね”と語った時の表情が容易に想像できる
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| Dancing in front of the Kannon Hall at festival、小赤沢の観音堂 |
Previous post (Part 3 of this article): The way of life of
Kametaro (husband) and Harue (wife)、亀太郎とハルエの生きざま
Next post (Last
part of this article): Looking Back on Life、半生を振り返る
(part 5) (coming soon)
Reference articles、参考記事 :
Akiyama-go
community hall (1/2)、秋山郷総合センター・とねんぼ（その１）
Akiyama-go
community hall (2/2)、秋山郷総合センター・とねんぼ（その２）
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