Benkai Takojiro
Benkai Takojiro, known as Ikasipa
Late Edo Period, Meiji Period, Taisho Period
Otoshibe, Funka Bay Coast
MAP No.4 [Precincts of Otoshibe Hachiman Shrine/Benkai Takojiro Description Signboard]
Leader of the Otoshibe Ainu
Born in Otoshibe in the late Edo period, Benkai Takojiro was the leader of the Otoshibe Ainu. He was known to be an outstanding hunter who held the rights to a large number of bear-holes, and also as a horse-tamer (able to distinguish the quality of a horse, and to heal sick horses and cattle). He associated with Muraoka Tadashi, a doctor from Mori Village, and cooperated with the activities of the Pirika-Kai, the organization founded by Dr. Muraoka with the aim of studying and documenting Ainu culture.
Participation in Search for Bodies in the Mount Hakkoda Disaster
During the disaster that occurred in the winter of Meiji 35 (1902) in Mount Hakkoda, Aomori Prefecture, when a group of Imperial soldiers became lost in a blizzard, Benkai Takojiro took part in the search for bodies, together with his eldest son Yukichi, and received a letter of thanks from the Imperial army. In Imperial reports of the search campaign and newspaper articles at the time, it was reported that Benkai Takojiro’s team performed outstandingly during the search campaign.
■Benkai Takojiro
Otoshibe 332, Yakumo-cho, Futami-gun, Hokkaido 049-2562
Precincts of Otoshibe Hachiman Shrine
Approx. 7 mins walk from JR Otoshibe Station
Monument to the Imperial Pines
Monument to the Imperial Pines
Meiji Period
Otoshibe Area, Funka Bay Coast Otoshibe Hachiman Shrine
MAP No.4 [Precincts of Otoshibe Hachiman Shrine/Benkai Takojiro Description Signboard]
MAP No.15 [Precincts of Otoshibe Hachiman Shrine /Monument to the Imperial Pines Description Signboard]
Presentation of the Bear Cubs
In Meiji 33 (1900), in celebration of the wedding of the Imperial Crown Prince (later to become Emperor Taisho), Benkai Takojiro, the leader of the Otoshibe Ainu, captured two bear cubs, naming the female Sarurun (“crane”) and the male Ichinke (“turtle”), and requested to present them as a celebratory gift.
Through contact with the Home Ministry, he was notified that his request had been accepted, and together with the doctor Muraoka Tadashi of Mori Village, he brought the bear cubs to Tokyo. As a gift in return, Benkai Takojiro received the “Imperial Pines”, among other articles.
Yakumo Town Museum Collection
Receiving the Imperial Pines
Benkai Takojiro planted the pine trees he received from the Imperial Palace gardens in the vicinity of his home, and engraved the tale of their origins into stone so that his descendants would know of the honor many years in the future. At present, one of these “Imperial Pines” which was transplanted from the Benkai residence to the precincts of Otoshibe Hachiman shrine, and its stone monument, are designated Cultural Properties (Natural Treasures) of Yakumo Town.
■Monument to the Imperial Pines
Otoshibe 332, Yakumo-cho, Futami-gun, Hokkaido 049-2562
Precincts of Otoshibe Hachiman Shrine
Approx. 7 mins walk from JR Otoshibe Station