The behavioral patterns of dogs are often said to resemble those of wolves’ social structures .A wolf pack functions on the basis of a strict hierarchy , and as long as this order is maintained, the group remains stable.However, conflicts sometimes arise over changes in rank, and as a result, positions within the hierarchy may be reversed. 1. Hierarchical Behaviors Observed in Wolf Society Wolves exhibit distinct behaviors that serve to reaffirm their social hierarchy.For exa

1. Introduction: The Paradox of Extinction and Survival Claims The Japanese wolf ( Canis lupus hodophilax ) was last officially recorded in 1905 (Meiji 38), when an individual was captured in Higashiyoshino, Nara Prefecture.Yet intermittent reports of sightings and captures continued to surface across Japan thereafter, producing a persistent paradox in which official extinction and survival claims coexisted . This phenomenon matters not only zoologically but also as a reflect

1. Introduction A wolfdog is a hybrid produced by crossing a wolf and a dog.In human history, the wolf is regarded as the ancestor of the domestic dog, and wolf–dog crosses have long drawn interest as symbols of both the origins of domestication and the boundary between wildness and tameness . In the West—especially from the nineteenth century onward—debates over “introducing wolf blood” accompanied the rise of breeds such as the German Shepherd Dog and were often tied to

1. Introduction The Japanese wolf ( Canis lupus hodophilax ) declined rapidly after the Meiji era and was declared extinct in the early twentieth century. Yet discourse about wolves extended beyond the home islands to colonial territories under Japanese rule—southern Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and Taiwan. These regions harbored native wolf populations (e.g., the Korean nukte ), which Japanese authorities folded into an expanded “history of wolves in Japan,” treating them

Vermin Control and Working Dogs — Interpreting “Dogs as Technology” in the Modern History of Human–Animal Relations Abstract This article compares nuisance-animal control and the role of dogs in modern Japan across two arenas: (1) wildlife damage in forest–mountain landscapes (deer, wild boar, macaques, etc.), and (2) sanitary pests (rats) in urban and military spaces. It examines how canine functions (tracking, driving, intimidation, dispatch) were selected and organized

1. Introduction: The Uniqueness of the Dog as a Teaching Material In prewar Japanese education, no other animal was mobilized as a teaching material in as many layers as the dog. While close to daily life as a familiar household animal, the dog also symbolically embodied the virtues of “loyalty,” “gratitude,” and “service.” This paper examines how dogs—particularly in the emblematic texts Faithful Dog Hachikō and Inu no Tegara (“A Dog’s Deed of Valor”)—were integrated into

1. Introduction — Dogs in the Textbook Prewar primary-school national-language readers contained numerous texts featuring dogs. Among the most emblematic was Inu no Tegara , adopted in 1934 ( Shōwa 9). Based on the true account of the military dogs “Nachi” and “Kongō,” who were killed in action during the Manchurian Incident, the piece was designed to instill in pupils the virtues of loyalty, service, and devotion to the nation.Why were dogs so intensively mobilized for educ

— Distinguishing It from “Militarist Education” and Reconsidering It through Institutional and Reception History 1. Prologue: Two Canine Lessons That Became Entangled In the same school year (Shōwa 10 / 1935) , two dog-themed lessons were adopted in prewar elementary schools: Moral Education (shūshin), Elementary Year 2 , Do Not Forget a Favor : the story of the Akita dog Hachi , who kept going to Shibuya Station. Theme: gratitude/thankfulness for favors received . National L

— Breeds, Institutions, Methods, and Social Reception (Meiji to Prewar/Wartime Shōwa) 1. Introduction: Problem Statement and Approach From the Meiji era onward, hunting in Japan was rapidly transformed by the interaction of technology transfer (firearms, breeds, training methods) , institutional development (hunting law, explosives control, protected designations) , and social reception (leisure/occupation/mobilization) .Using fragmentary surviving sources, this article recon

Tracing Human–Dog Coexistence from the Jōmon to the Edo Period 1. Introduction: Humanity’s Oldest Partnership with Dogs The relationship between humans and dogs reaches back to the Paleolithic. Dogs ( Canis familiaris ) are widely regarded as the earliest domesticated animal, serving not merely as “livestock” but as companions in daily life and partners in the hunt. In the Japanese archipelago, dog remains excavated from early Jōmon-period sites underscore the depth of this b

1. Introduction: Why Were Dogs Consistently Chosen as Teaching Materials? A survey of modern Japanese education reveals few animals that...

Introduction This article is based on a memoir written by the master of Gunrōeisō, a renowned kennel that dedicated itself to the...

1. Introduction The Japanese wolf ( Canis lupus hodophilax ), a small canid endemic to the Japanese archipelago, once roamed Honshu,...

1. Introduction This article, based on the Ameblo entry “History of Wolves in Japan, Part II: The Extinction of the Ezo Wolf” , examines...

1. Prologue: Defeat and the Collapse of Values Japan’s defeat on 15 August 1945 shattered the educational regime that had persisted since...

1. Introduction: Why Were Dogs Chosen as Teaching Materials? In prewar Japan, dogs were not only familiar to children; they also served...

1. Introduction Japan was once home to two subspecies of the gray wolf: the Japanese wolf (Canis lupus hodophilax) and the Ezo wolf...

From ancient times, Japanese dogs have lived alongside people in the mountains and rural areas, supporting both hunting and daily life. A...

When you look at a Shiba Inu or other Japanese dogs, you may notice white markings around the muzzle, chest, or legs. In Japan, these markings are not just random patches of fur—they are called urajiro. According to the official Japanese dog standard, urajiro is an essential trait, with clear rules that separate “acceptable white” from “unacceptable white.”

Japanese dogs have long lived alongside people in Japan. Their presence is not only recorded domestically but also appears in the...