Ainu mythology

Japanese god of fishers and luck

, sometimes written as is an Ainu ceremony of Hokkaido and Sakhalin in which a hand-raised brown bear cub is ceremonially killed, under the notion that the soul merely returns to its god-world (). The physical body of the bear god is considered merely to be his "disguise" (), and the pelt and meat harvested are accepted as gifts that the god has left in gratitude for the ceremonious hospitality it received.

In Ainu culture, ' or ' ( or ) is a ritual wood-shaving stick used in prayers to the spiritual world. They were used in most Ainu religious rituals and were also frequently made to request assistance for hunting and childbirth. Some can be used multiple times, while others are destroyed immediately after one use. Their size and the direction in which they are shaved depends on which (spiritual being) it is offered to and what is being requested.

thumb|upright=1.8|A Cercidiphyllum|katsura tree '''''' (, ; Sakhalin Ainu: , ) are wooden, carved ceremonial sticks used by Ainu men when making offerings to spirits.