In the middle of the 16th century, during the Sengoku or Warring States period, Japan was in the grip of a long and cruel civil war, with seemingly no end in sight. As during any armed conflict, food and raw materials inevitably became increasingly scarce. When the Portuguese brought the first harquebuses to Japan in 1543, not only did it change the course of the conflict but it also marked the start of a process of change in Japanese society.
It was against this background that hunting emerged as a vitally important means of subsistence and source of income. People in rural areas began heading into the mountains to hunt – especially during the winter months when farming would become impracticable – to meet the widespread demand for meat, skins and other by-products of this activity.
It is thought to be at this precise moment that the Matagi hunter emerged, in the mountainous Tōhoku region, in the north of Honshu, the main island of the Japanese archipelago. Although they hunt for almost any mammal, their most primordial and emblematic prey has, for centuries, been the Japanese black bear, a species currently classed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Given the ferocity of this animal and the perilous terrain it inhabits, the Matagi developed the all-important custom of hunting in groups and forming communities.
Un groupe de chasseurs matagis photographié au début du XXe siècle. Ce n’est que peu avant la Deuxième guerre mondiale que la carabine moderne viendrait peu à peu se substituer aux méthodes de chasse à la lance traditionnelles.
There are many legends, alongside the historical narrative, recounting the origins of the Matagi hunters from a more spiritual angle. The accounts vary slightly according to the region or community, but central to all of them is the veneration of the goddess of the mountains, a figure with many faces that has been present in Shintoism since time immemorial. According to the most widely told version, the goddess of Mount Nikko (in Tochigi Prefecture) was attacked by the deity of nearby Mount Akagi.
Un groupe de chasseurs d’Oguni se réunit à l’aube pour ébaucher la stratégie de chasse. À leur tête, Sato-san, surnommé le Capitaine. C’est dans sa cabane que se tiennent toutes les réunions.
The goddess of Mount Nikko called for the help of a young hunter, Banzaburo, who was well known in the area for his outstanding archery skills. The deity of Mount Akagi had taken on the physical form of a giant centipede (or a snake in some versions of the story), and Banzaburo did away with it by shooting an arrow into its eye.
Les matagis vénèrent la déesse de la montagne. Avant chaque partie de chasse, les chasseurs se recueillent dans des petits temples cachés dans les bois, où ils implorent la déesse pour sa protection et la bonne fortune. Ces dénommés portails consistent dans des structures en bois qui symbolisent le passage entre le monde matériel et le monde spirituel.
The goddess rewarded him for his heroic deed by presenting him with a scroll granting him and his descendants the right to hunt in every mountain and forest of Japan, for all posterity.
À l’heure actuelle, les chasseurs emploient des carabines et des tenues modernes, qu’ils combinent avec des instruments traditionnels propres à leurs communautés. Les matagis du XXIe siècle sont des tireurs d’élite. Les couleurs vives de leurs gilets leur permettent de se différencier les uns des autres au milieu de la forêt et, par-là même, d’éviter des accidents.
In accordance with tradition, every leader of a Matagi group or community keeps a handwritten copy of this text, which is passed on from one generation to the next.
Tous les membres de la partie de chasse ont un droit égal sur la viande et la peau de l’animal, indépendamment de qui a tiré. Une fois la proie abattue, l’ours est tiré à bout de bras jusqu’à une clairière proche, pour y être étripé et débité.
The Matagi share many similarities, in spiritual terms, with Native Americans and other hunting tribes from various parts of the world. Their sacred reverence for the Japanese black bear and the mountains, as well as their immense knowledge of the environment, makes them key players in the conservation of local ecosystems. However contradictory it may seem, given that they are hunters, the Matagi argue that they play a vital role in maintaining a healthy balance between rural and urban life.
Sato, le Capitaine, dégaine son couteau matagi pour procéder au dépeçage de la bête. Sur la lame du couteau est gravé le nom de son clan.
Matagi knives have evolved over the centuries. In the past, the handle used to be hollow, so that the knife could be fitted on to the end of a stick and used as a spear.
La tête d’un ours noir du Japon, après avoir été sectionnée et écorchée par les chasseurs matagis.
As part of the hunting ritual, the Matagi use their knives to cut up the dead animal in the woods and leave part of its entrails as an offering to the goddess of the mountains. They divide up the rest and carry it back to their settlement in rucksacks.
