Atsushi Aoki was out fishing on the Jizo River when a snarling bear launched what Aoki describes as “an unprovoked attack”.
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Leonardo DiCaprio memorably wrestled with a bear in the Oscar-winning film “The Revenant”.
Mr Aoki told reporters the bear stood over him with “an imposing stance”.
“It turned me over and bit me right here”, he added, pointing to his bandaged leg.
Instead of trying to make a quick getaway from the intense situation, the high-ranking karate practitioner used his martial arts skills to defend himself.
In scenes reminiscent of Leonardo Di Caprio’s epic tussle with an angry bear in the Oscar-winning film “The Revenant”, Atsushi Aoki was bitten and scratched repeatedly, including on his head. After fending off the bear, he was able to get back to his auto and drive to the hospital to treat the wounds on his head, arm, and leg.
“He drove himself to the hospital, and he even remembered to grab the fish that he had caught”, a local policeman told Agence France-Presse.
The ursine adventure was hailed in the Japanese press as a man-versus-nature tale of triumph.
But its human opponent, standing only 1.7 meters tall, happened to be a high-ranked karate man who fought back with a fierce determination, punching the predator repeatedly in the eyes until it gave up and ran away.
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Authorities in Japan have warned members of the public not to try and replicate Aoki’s actions if they encounter a bear in the wild. Just Monday two men in Fukushima were attacked and received serious face and head injuries, and in June, four people were killed by bears in the mountain so Akita. But when a bear is attacking, experts will also tell you to fight back.
