Dogs and Militarist Education — The Reality of Their Pedagogical Use in Prewar Japan

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 militarist education and incorporated into children’s moral formation.

2. Two Images of the Dog in Textbooks

2.1 Faithful Dog Hachikō in Moral Education

The 1935 (Shōwa 10) moral textbook included “Never Forget a Favor,” a lesson based on Hachikō waiting at Shibuya Station for his deceased master. Here the emphasis fell on “gratitude” and “loyalty” in a domestic, personal register rather than in explicitly national terms.

2.2 Inu no Tegara in Language Readers

By contrast, Inu no Tegara—based on the military dogs “Nachi” and “Kongō,” killed in the Manchurian Incident—foregrounded the national virtue of “sacrificing one’s life for the country.” This story was explicitly framed within a militarist educational context.

3. Rethinking the Term “Militarist Education”

It is often assumed that “prewar education = militarist education.” In reality, emphases varied by text. Dog-centered materials reveal two coexisting types:

• “Domestic loyalty” — the Hachikō type

• “National loyalty” — the military-dog type

Accordingly, any discussion of “militarist education” must analyze the intent and classroom use of each text individually.

4. In Practice — Children’s Experiences and Emotions

4.1 Observing Military-Dog Demonstrations

One child wrote in a composition:

“Even dogs can serve the nation, yet weak-bodied as I am, I can do nothing. I felt ashamed.”

This record shows how dogs mediated the internalization of both “self-reproach” and “the desire to serve the nation.” Dog-centered materials functioned not only as vehicles of knowledge but as apparatuses of emotional education.

4.2 Reading Aloud and Tears

Reports indicate that when Inu no Tegara was read aloud, many children wept. Educators praised this as “pedagogical effect,” aiming to engrave virtues deeply through emotional arousal.

5. Dog Texts and the Fusion with State Ideology

5.1 Faithful Dog = Loyal Retainer

A dog’s loyalty to its master was directly equated with loyalty to the Emperor and the state. This provided a concrete, easily graspable model through which abstract ideals could be conveyed to children.

5.2 Canine Death = Human Sacrifice

The deaths of military dogs were paralleled with soldiers’ deaths in battle. The implicit message was: “If even dogs give their lives, then humans must as well.”

5.3 Cross-Curricular Use

• Language: readings aloud and compositions

• Morals: concrete exemplars of virtues

• Drawing: depictions of military dogs that visualized loyalty

• Songs: children’s songs celebrating loyal or military dogs

Thus, dog-centered materials operated as a cross-curricular apparatus for inculcating state ideology.

6. Socio-Cultural Context — Dogs and National Movements

6.1 The Japanese Dog Preservation Movement

In the 1930s, the establishment of the Nihon Ken Hozonkai elevated the Shiba and Akita as “national dogs.” This ethnic symbolism resonated with educational uses of the dog, creating a cultural soil where national spirit overlapped with canine loyalty.

6.2 Community Dog Culture

Examples include Zushi schoolchildren fundraising to erect a monument to loyal dogs, and local dog-memorial ceremonies. Such practices reinforced the synergy between school education and community patriotism, amplifying the impact of dog-centered texts.

7. International Comparison — Japan’s Particularity

• Germany (Nazi era): German Shepherds were promoted as “national dogs,” appearing in children’s books and films as military models.

• United States and United Kingdom: Lassie and the Saint Bernard symbolized “family affection” or “humanitarianism,” with minimal military coloring.

• Japan: Dog texts were uniquely linked directly to “loyalty to the Emperor and the nation.”

  
  

Dogs were used educationally worldwide, but in Japan their integration into nationalist education was markedly more pronounced.

8. Discontinuity and Continuity in Postwar Education

8.1 Discontinuity

After 1945, the Imperial Rescript on Education and moral education were abolished. Texts such as Inu no Tegara were rejected as “symbols of militarism.”

8.2 Continuity

Yet dogs themselves did not disappear from teaching. In the postwar era they remained as subjects for “friendship,” “responsibility,” and “respect for life.” The “loyal dog” became the “companion dog,” ensuring continuity under new meanings.

9. Future Research Tasks

1. Textbook-compilation history: trace adoption processes of dog materials using Ministry of Education archives.

2. Children’s writings: analyze compositions and reflections to study reception.

3. Animal cultural history: examine interconnections among military-dog systems, preservation movements, and schooling.

4. International comparison: clarify the specificity of “militarist education” by contrasting Japanese and Western cases.

10. Conclusion

Dog-centered texts were not mere animal stories but strategic educational devices for embodying state ideology in children.

• Hachikō type: domestic loyalty

• Military-dog type: national loyalty

Their coexistence reveals the complexity of prewar pedagogy. By using dogs—intimate and familiar beings—as mediators, education deeply shaped children’s emotions, imagination, and moral sense, supporting the internalization of loyalty to the state. Although postwar meanings shifted, the role of dog-centered materials remains a crucial subject for research in educational and cultural history.