Let’s look at the sky in Japan

by Ajay Rau

Under the same sky in Japan modern Japanese recognize the constellations of the Big Bear and Little (Child) Bear. However, the Japanese words for Western names have a bit of historical confusion.

Depending upon context, the word "kuma" (or "guma" in the above names) can take on two very different meanings. Kuma is the pronunciation of two Japanese Kanji (literally, Chinese characters): one is translated as "bear"; the other is translated as "corner" or "nook".

When applied to the two constellations of the north, "kuma" as "corner" seems to pre-date most Western influence, and "kuma" as "bear" has acquired a more recent interpretation.

The use of "kuma" (corner) appears to have Chinese and Buddhist origins. In Chinese divination, North is viewed as a very bad direction, with the northwest perhaps the worst direction of all!

Iin modern Japanese "kita" is the word for the direction "north" though it is still referred to as "kuma" the dark and shadowy "corner" or "nook" of the heavens, a direction one should seriously avoid.

Hunters and soldiers traditionally did not point guns or weapons in this direction. Interestingly, the most southern star of the big dipper asterism, Alkaid ("Hagunsei" in Japanese, literally meaning "the military breaking star") is also often called the "most corner star".

In modern Japan, when one is faced with extreme trouble, he or she may use the phrase "mukahiguma" (mukahi=face). Young Japanese associate this phrase with the idea of "facing the bear". Older Japanese still recall the idea of "facing the corner".

The stars that compose Ursa Minor and the Big Dipper asterism are often called "Kuma Boshi".

Does this mean "bear stars" or "corner stars"?

In some parts of Japan Polaris, the North Star, is traditionally called "Kumaoe Boshi". "oe" means "to carry".

Does this mean that Polaris is the "corner carrying star", the star that "carries the dark corner on its back"?

Or could it mean the "bear carrying star", the star that "carries the bear(s) on its back"?

The use of the word "kuma" or "guma" in these names could mean either and would be determined by the historical era in which they were used.

As Japan continues to "modernize", association of the constellations of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor with the dark corner of the sky grows less and less.

Perhaps ironically as one looks at the influx of Western astronomical tradition into the everyday life of Japanese, the concept of "bears" in the northern sky had an easy route to acceptance, with the word for "bear" easily replacing the word for "corner".

For More information see this article by Steve Renshaw and Saori Ihara