Wooden Ainu carved by this eponymous people, indigenous to northern Japan (Hokkaido). Circa 50-60. Signed under the leg. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Ainu were forced to settle in Hokkaido to cultivate the land and become farmers. Bears played an important role in their lives, providing them with food and clothing to meet their basic needs. Thus was born their line of handcrafted sculptures, which began in the late 1940s.