Japanese Symbol for
熊kuma
bear · strength · spirit
Readings
Meaning
Bear. 熊 (kuma) is also used in place names — 熊本 (Kumamoto — "bear origin") in Kyushu is one of Japan's most famous cities. To the Ainu people of Hokkaido, the brown bear (ヒグマ — higuma) is the supreme deity 神 (kamuy).
Example words
熊本
Kumamoto
Kumamoto city (bear origin)
熊野
Kumano
Kumano (sacred mountain area)
白熊
shirokuma
polar bear (also a shaved ice dessert!)
熊猫
kuma-neko
panda (bear-cat)
熊手
kumade
rake (bear's hand) / luck rake at Otori shrines
コアラ
koara
koala (sometimes called 木登り熊)
For the Ainu people of Hokkaido, the brown bear (ヒグマ) is キムン・カムイ (Kimun Kamuy — mountain god). The Ainu ceremony イヨマンテ (Iyomante — bear sending) treats bears as divine messengers temporarily inhabiting bear bodies, releasing their spirits back to the gods. Kumano (熊野) in Wakayama is one of Shinto's most sacred regions — the "熊" in its name may relate to the bear as a mountain deity.
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