The History of Japan’s Hunting Dogs, Part 1 — The Hounds of Antiquity

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 bond.

At that time, humans had no firearms and relied on limited hunting tools such as bows, arrows, and traps. Under these conditions, dogs—tasked with locating and tracking game and sensing danger—played a strategic role for hunters, functioning almost like a “field officer.”

2. The Jōmon Period — The Emergence of Hunting Dogs and Archaeological Evidence

2.1 Excavated Dog Remains and Human–Dog Coexistence

Numerous dog bones have been unearthed at Jōmon sites. At locations such as the Sannai-Maruyama site (Aomori) and the Ubayama Shell Midden (Chiba), dogs were interred alongside humans—evidence that they were regarded not only as labor but also as spiritual partners.

2.2 Healed Lesions on Dog Bones

Many remains show fractures or pathologies that had healed. This indicates that injured dogs were protected by humans, given food, and allowed to recover. In other words, hunting dogs were not “disposable tools” but members of the community.

2.3 The Role of Hunting Dogs

Jōmon dogs were medium-sized, about 40 cm at the shoulder, with excellent agility—well suited to hunting small and medium game (hares, deer, wild boar). Working in packs to corner prey, dogs enabled humans to finish the hunt with arrows or spears. This joint operation between humans and dogs formed a foundation of Jōmon survival strategies.

3. The Yayoi Period — Incoming Dogs and the Rise of Dog Meat Consumption

3.1 Incoming Dogs and Hybridization

Dogs arriving from the continent in the Yayoi period were larger than Jōmon dogs and are thought to have contributed to the lineage of later Japanese native breeds. Archaeology suggests that while Jōmon and incoming dogs interbred, the Jōmon lineage gradually declined.

3.2 Culinary Use of Dogs

With the spread of rice cultivation, dogs were both hunting partners and a source of meat. Butchery marks on dog bones show that they also served as an important protein source in settled communities, reflecting a diversification of canine roles during the transition from hunting to agriculture.

4. From the Kofun Era to the Medieval Period — Prestige and Specialization

4.1 Symbolism of Dogs in Haniwa and Kofun Finds

Among Kofun-period haniwa are figures shaped as dogs. More than depictions of domestic animals, they symbolized royal authority and martial power. Hunting dogs thus held social status as embodiments of the ruler’s strength.

4.2 Dogs in Early Texts

References to dogs appear in the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki. Accounts of dogs locating game ahead of humans, and examples of their involvement in religious rites, suggest that hunting dogs were incorporated into the institutional fabric of society.

4.3 Falconry and Dogs

From the Heian period onward, aristocrats and warriors practiced falconry, with dogs tracking and flushing game. Cooperation between dogs and hawks signified authority in warrior culture while also constituting a rational combination that enhanced hunting effectiveness.

5. The Edo Period — Institutionalized Hunting and the Management of Hunting Dogs

5.1 Regulation of the Hunt and Governance of Dogs

The Tokugawa shogunate strictly regulated hunting; without a lord’s permission, it was prohibited. Hunting dogs were deemed the lord’s assets, and unauthorized use was punishable. In this way, hunting dogs came to be treated within a legal–institutional framework.

5.2 The Edicts on Compassion for Living Beings and Dogs

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi’s Edicts on Compassion for Living Beings aimed to protect animals, including dogs, yet hunting and pest-control dogs retained recognized roles. This duality shows that dogs were both “objects of protection” and beings “employed for human purposes.”

6. Folk Culture and Views of Hunting Dogs after Death

6.1 Dog Mounds and Memorial Rites

Across Japan, one finds graves and memorial steles for hunting dogs, known as inu-zuka. These reflect rituals in which hunters mourned the dogs who lived alongside them and “returned” them to the mountain deities.

6.2 Mountain Worship and Dogs

In places such as Shiiba Village, hunting dogs were regarded as messengers of the mountain god, and returning a dog’s remains to the mountains became a form of worship. This is cultural evidence of a relationship of parity between humans and dogs dating back to the Jōmon era.

7. Northern Hunting Dogs — Ainu Culture and the Sakhalin Dog

7.1 Ainu Hunting Dogs

The Ainu hunted deer and brown bear with Hokkaidō dogs. Dogs pulled sleds, carried loads, and were indispensable in daily life. Hunting dogs also appear in Ainu mythology and were revered as spiritual beings.

7.2 The Role of the Karafuto (Sakhalin) Dog

On Sakhalin, the large, cold-hardy Karafuto-ken excelled in sled work and hunting. These northern dogs were later employed by the military and exploration parties, continuing to play culturally significant roles into the modern era.

8. A Comparative Cultural Lens — World Hounds and Japan’s Distinctiveness

Compared with Europe’s scent hounds and sighthounds, Japanese hunting dogs tended to be medium-sized, versatile “generalists” adapted to mountainous terrain. This reflects the archipelago’s rugged environments, where multipurpose utility was favored over narrow specialization.

9. Synthesis: The Scholarly Significance of Hunting-Dog History

The history of Japanese hunting dogs can be summarized as follows:

• Jōmon: dogs as partners sustaining survival;

• Yayoi: diversification through incoming dogs and culinary use;

• Kofun–Medieval: symbols of authority; collaboration with falconry;

• Early Modern (Edo): existence under institutional regulation and control;

• Folk Culture: commemorated after death and enduring as spiritual beings;

• Northern Cultures: distinctive development of hunting dogs adapted to extreme cold.

The history of hunting dogs is not merely animal history; it is a mirror reflecting Japan’s views of nature and religion, as well as its institutional history.