bear-sending ceremony; ritual bear sacrifice
Refers to the Ainu iyomante ceremony, in which a ritually raised bear is sent back to the spirit world. A culturally specific term; not a general word for killing a bear.
The Ainu bear-sending ceremony is a ritual to send the bear's spirit back to the land of the gods.
Standard kanji spelling for the Ainu bear-sending ceremony.
Abbreviated kanji form; less common than 熊送り.
Compound of 熊 (くま, 'bear') and 送り (おくり, 'sending'), literally 'bear-sending'. The term is a direct Japanese translation of the Ainu iyomante ceremony.