Have you ever heard stories about people getting lost and ultimately being rescued by bears? Let me share one of these unusual tales with you.
When I was still young, I visited a place called Tsuma-Ari for about three days in the summer. I laid a straw mat under the shade of the trees at the house I stayed in, cooling off with some drinks and snacks. At one point, an old man passed by the garden, bowing his head slightly to the homeowner. At first I thought nothing of it, but the owner told me, "This man was saved by a bear when he was young, when he was about your age. Thanks to that bear, he made it to 82 years old! He’s had a long and happy life...you should talk to him...” The old man smiled modestly and tried to leave again. Hurriedly, I called out to him, “It must be very rare to be saved by a bear. Could you please tell me your story?” The owner took my tea cup, threw out the remaining tea and filled the cup to the brim with sake, and said “First things first, let’s drink.” The old man sat down on the edge of the mat and a faint smile appeared on his face. After his third cup of sake he was quite friendly. “You wanna talk? Well, let’s talk”.
* * *
I was 20 years old at the time. It was the beginning of February, the coldest time of the year. I was heading to the mountains to collect some firewood for my home. Firewood runs scarce that time of year- all the nearby places to collect wood were practically bare, and anything left was too precarious to go for, so I had to go deeper into the mountains. Before I knew it, I came across a pile of perfect firewood logs. I giddly collected as much wood as my sled could carry, tied it up nicely and started on my way back home singing my sled song all the while.
Then, a bunch of logs fell from the sled and got caught in the snow cracks within the valley. You know how frozen snow cracks when the sunlight hits it, right? I couldn’t bear to leave perfectly good firewood like that to waste, so I tried to pull a log out of the snow. It didn't budge-- it must have fallen hard and gotten stuck deep. I leaned forward, got down on my stomach and tried to pull the log out from the snow with both hands, using all my strength. “Oof!” But even that didn’t work. As I tried to stand, I lost my balance as I tried to plant my feet in the snow. But the ground wasn’t firm, and I slipped and fell deep into the valley of snow.
Luckily, I fell into soft snow and I lost consciousness for a moment though I wasn’t physically injured. I got to my feet and looked up at the wall of snow, which seemed as if it stood like a folding screen, on the verge of avalanching. Nothing lived down here, and it was dark. Who could get out of this? I felt completely and utterly hopeless. I walked through the narrow valley of snow, hoping to at least find some light. At some point, I reached a place where I could see the sky. I thought that would comfort me, but the fact still remained-- I was stuck in the snow at the bottom of a valley. Every step became more and more difficult as my limbs grew stiff in the brutal cold. But I couldn’t let the cold get to me-- I was determined not to die frozen down there. I thought that there must be a way back home, so I kept pushing forward. After what seemed like forever, I thought I could see something in the distance. I had reached a waterfall, a dead end. I felt completely stuck, hopeless, like a mouse that fell into a vase. My mind was in a daze and my chest was pounding. I felt like someone was squeezing my heart. I had absolutely no idea what to do.
* * *
“Okay, now let’s talk about the bear!” The old man poured himself another glass of sake, lit a cigarette and took a puff. The old man finally started talking when I asked, "Well, what happened?"
* * *
When I looked closely at the edge of the snow wall, I saw a rock cavern that you could just squeeze into. I took a look inside, and there wasn’t any snow, so it was actually a little warm. It was at this time that I reached down and noticed I lost my bento box somewhere along the way. That’s where I started panicking thinking that this was the end, I was going to starve to death. Maybe if I ate snow, I could last a week or so... Or, maybe if I sang the sled song loud enough, someone would realize a villager fell here. Surely if I sang loud enough, someone would hear and come rescue me...
But really, what more could I do than pray to the gods for support and guidance? I started vehemently praying to the gods Ise and Zenkoji, and as I finished my prayers and noticed the sun was setting, I ventured deep into the dark hole of the cavern, in hopes of finding sleep. Gradually, as if there was a heater in the cavern, the place got warmer and warmer. I felt around, and that’s when I felt it... a bear! I was in shock. I could feel my heart pounding, ready to burst, and there was no escape. It was now up to the gods whether I lived or died. I nervously pet the bear and said, “Hello Mr. Bear, I came to collect firewood and fell into this valley. I have no way home and no way to survive. It seems I am destined to die today, so if you plan to rip me to shreds, just get it over with and kill me already. But, if you have any compassion at all, I beg you to help me".
I wait for the bear to make the next move. Then, the bear sat up and moved forward, so I scooted myself out of the way. Suddenly I found myself sitting where the bear was just sitting. It was so warm! It felt like sitting in a kotatsu. I thanked the bear, and continued to cry, "Help me!" The bear then raised its paw and pressed it softly against my mouth. I could taste its paw, sweet and slightly bitter, like the taste of ants. Eventually, the bear sighed as it fell into a slumber. My heart became calm and light as I realized the bear wasn’t my enemy, then I laid down to sleep next to it. At first I was too confused to fall asleep. But before I knew it, I was in a deep slumber.
Morning came. The bear rolled over as it woke up, and I could see the entrance to the cavern. I crawled out of the hole to look around, checking for a way out, or even a vine that I could use to climb up… but found nothing like that. The bear came out of the hole after me, went to the waterfall, and started drinking water. I finally got a good look at it as it drank. It was absolutely massive, easily the size of seven dogs combined. Not knowing what to do, I went back to the cavern and tried to see if I could hear any hint of civilization. Maybe I could hear the sled song being sung nearby... but all I could hear was the rushing of the waterfall. Just like that, another day came and went and I spent a second night in the cavern, battling starvation in the company of this bear. Several days passed, and still I could not hear the song of civilization. As time passed, I got used to the presence of the bear, and even started to grow fond of it.
* * *
The homeowner was a bit tipsy at this point. He laughed as he asked the old man, "So, was the bear a female?” We all laughed. The homeowner and the old man poured another round of drinks, and got distracted from the story with other small talk. Eventually, I convinced the old man to continue his story.
* * *
I’m telling you, a single experience can change your life. When I first came across the bear, I thought that was the end. But then I thought, if I could wait for the snow to melt, I could get out of here on my own. I could climb the roots of the trees or the cliffside rocks-- I just had to find a way to climb out of that valley. The days blurred together and I lost track of time. Even the bear started to feel like my personal pet. I waited for the snow to melt, which took longer down in the valley than it does in the village. Day after day, I was just happy to see the sun rise again.
One day, when I was picking at lice by the light near the cavern entrance, the bear came up to me and started pulling on my sleeves. I wondered what he was up to, so I followed him. He led me all the way to where I had originally slipped and fallen that fateful day. The bear walked up to the snow wall and dug out a piece of it. Then another, and another, until it made a straight path. As the bear continued, we started to see human footprints on the snow on the other side.
The bear took a look around and suddenly dashed off. And just like that, he was gone. Though it was already out of sight, I stood there and bowed my head deeply, and thanked it for guiding me to safety. I thanked the gods, for always looking out for me. I felt light as a feather as I walked home, and I arrived at the village as the lanterns came on, just before nightfall. I was finally home. I was greeted by what seemed like the whole village. The neighbors gathered and we all thanked the gods. My parents were completely shocked to see me, wondering if they were seeing a ghost. I was nothing but skin and bone, my face was thin like a fox. If I was a ghost, then at least they could use this as a ghost story in the future. But in reality, it was the tale of how a villager returned from collecting firewood, 49 days later.
* * *
This was the story of a farmer named Kuemon. That night, I took my brush and wrote his story down as he told it under the light of my lamp. That was a long time ago, now.