Picture of Bear Ukiyo-e

Origin Story

The story I'm going to tell you takes place in Japan during the Edo era. In a small town located on the coast, there was an artist named Toshusai Sharaku who was known for his ukiyo-e paintings. He was particularly fond of bears and spent a lot of time observing them in the wild. One day, while studying a bear near his village, he noticed that it looked sad and lonely. He then decided to paint it in order to give it a better image and thus show others how he saw this magnificent wild animal.

He worked for weeks on his painting and managed to perfectly capture the sad expression in the bear's gaze. When the painting was finished, all who saw it were amazed by the beauty and depth of feeling that Toshusai Sharaku was able to convey through his art. The bear quickly became famous throughout the country because it represented more than just a wild animal: it embodied the very soul of ancient Japan, as if everyone could identify with it and understand its inner loneliness.