Deer Horn-Chopping in Nara

Nara is one of Japan's best-known sightseeing spots - the home of ancient temples and historic sites including Horyuji Temple. The town attracts in recent years an increasing number of foreign tourists - strangely not the Great Buddha of Todaiji and other temples but herds of "wild" deer in the Nara Park.

Actually, the tourists do visit the Great Buddha and other temples and historic sites but they seldom miss stretching their legs to the park to meet the deer. Deer in other areas are looked upon as hazardous wild animals but not in Nara.

Right now, a total of 1,100 deer "reside wild" in the park, feeding on "deer snack" sold and given to them by tourists. Some of them go out of the park and even stroll midtown in broad daylight. You even find some cross the intersection by the traffic signals! Most of them sleep up in Mt. Kasuga and come down in the morning to spend most of the daytime in the park and nearby streets.

Now, annually about this time of year, a traditional event takes place in Nara on account of the deer in the park. A number of spectators gathered, October 8, to see the event: "Deer Horn Chopping".

It's an annual event held since the Yedo Period by wildlife conservationist groups in Nara to cut the horns off the bucks to prevent them from harming the tourists and passersby.

A horn-chopping ground was set up in the garden of Kasuka Shrine. Horn choppers handled deer, first chasing after them, then roping to tie them down, three at a time, to finally chop off the horns 40-50 cm long.

A college coed from Osaka screamed:

"Gee, it was fun watching: Felt sorry for them, tied down hard and had their horns cut off like that. But I understand it's one way of caring for them." (Nathan Shiga)