January 1, 2018

The Year of the Dog

2018 is the Year of the Dog (inudoshi) in Japan, the eleventh year in the cycle of 12 signs from the Japanese (and originally Chinese) zodiac. The Year of the Dog is represented by the Earthly Branch character 戌. As in the West, dogs are believed to have a sense of duty and loyalty, and such are also believed to be the characteristics of persons born in the Year of the Dog.

[Japanese Akita dog - Wikipedia (Sevenfatdogs) - CC BY 3.0]

Dogs are the oldest domesticated animal - their friendship with human beings goes back some 12,000 years, to the early Jomon period, when we also find the oldest Japanese indigenous dogs. In the Jomon period, dog burial was already practiced, showing how important dogs were to humans - they gave invaluable assistance during hunting, tracking down everything from deer to wild boar.

According to the experts, there are various types of native dogs in Japan, and their common characteristic is that of a primitive canine type, with small pricked ears and a curled or upright bushy tail (this curled tail is in fact the major characteristic of Japanese dogs). Their eyes are rather small, with a slant set. The Japanese dog is typically a "one-person dog," very faithful and obedient to one master. For convenience, the Japanese dog today is classified into three types: large, medium and small.
  • Large type (ogata): these are the Akita dogs. Shoulder height 65cm, weight 35-55kg. Temperament is dignified and calm. Was a hunting dog in the past, now a guard dog.
  • Medium type (chugata): also named after localities like the previous one: Hokkaido inu, Kai inu, Kishu inu and Shikoku inu. Muscular body, height 50cm, weight 20kg. Courageous and capable hunters, also for big game as bear, boar and deer.
  • Small type (kogata): Shiba dog. Found in mountainous areas, especially the Chubu and Chugoku districts. Used for hunting small game as raccoon, fox, hare, weasel and birds. The name has been taken from "shiba," "brushwood," as the beautiful hide of this dog has the same brown color as this shrub in autumn.

[Dog scene from Yoshitoshi's Hakkenden ukiyoe - Wikipedia - Public Domain]

Some Japanese "dog-lore":
  • In Japanese folklore and literature, the dog is a friendly character, beneficent and protective. In the fairy tale of Momotaro ("Peach Boy"), for example, a dog is one of Momotaro's faithful companions. Read the story here.
  • In Japanese literature, Takizawa Bakin has immortalized the dog in his famous epic novel Satomi and the Eight "Dogs" (Nanso Satomi Hakkenden, 1814-1841), which describes how the fortunes of a defeated warrior family are revived with the aid of eight "dog" warriors (each of their surnames begins with the Japanese word for dog). The novel is also an allegory as good and evil are incarnated in characters who serve as emblems. It was partly inspired by the Chinese classical novel The Water Margin (Suikoden in Japanese). There is no full English translation, but excerpts of the novel are included in Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, by Shirane Haruo (Columbia University Press, 2002). There are many adaptations, besides a famous ukiyoe series featuring leading Kabuki actors by Utagawa Kunisada II, also a film version by Fukasaku Shinji, and several manga and anime versions. 
  • The 5th Tokugawa shogun, Tsunayoshi, is famous for his exaggerated devotion to dogs. Due to his misunderstanding of Buddhism (the shogun thought he lost his son and was unable to father another one due to bad karma from a previous life, when he had taken the lives of many sentient beings), Tsunayoshi wanted to protect all living beings, especially dogs as he was born in the Year of the Dog. His edicts (from the mid-1680s on) which forbade the killing of birds and animals were enforced with severe punishments. An apprentice was even executed because he wounded a dog. In the capital Edo, especially dogs became sacred, which earned Tsunayoshi the nickname "Dog Shogun" (inu kubo). In 1695, there were so many dogs that Edo began to smell horribly. Finally, the trouble was taken to a distance, as over 50,000 dogs were deported to kennels in the suburbs of the city where they were fed rice and fish at the expense of the taxpaying citizens of Edo. The edicts were revoked in 1709 after the death of Tsunayoshi.
  • In the Mumonkan (The Gateless Gate), Case One concerns the question whether a dog can have the Buddha nature or not: 'A monk asked Joshu, "Has a dog the Buddha Nature?" Joshu answered, "Mu." ' In other words, the dog is Mu, the Buddha-nature Mu, everything Mu! It is the task of the Zen student, while practicing zazen to come to an immediate experience of Mu, beyond any intellectual signification. This is usually the first koan received by a Zen student from his master. When the student has mastered it, it is said he has become acquainted with the world of Mu (The Shambala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen).
[Wolf-dog in Mitsumine Shrine, Chichibu - Own photo]
  • In parts of ancient Japan, there was a dog-wolf cult, as the mountain god (yama no kami) was believed to take the shape of a dog or wolf (wild dogs were often confused with wolves in Japan). Interesting is the Mitsumine Shrine in Chichibu where wolves (or wild dogs) are the protectors of the shrine instead of the normal komainu.
[Komainu, Sudo Shrine, Kyoto - Own photo]
  • That reminds me of komainu. Everyone who has visited a shrine in Japan has made their acquaintance, often with a smile: the pairs of funny stone guardians that are a cross between a lion and a dog and that often stand at the entrance to the sacred precincts. "Komainu" literally means "Korean dogs," a pointer to their origin on the Asian mainland. As they entered Japan in the Heian-period, their name "Koma" was derived from the designation for the Korean kingdom of Koguryo, although the actual origin may be sought as faraway as Egypt or Iran. The function of these mythical beasts is to repel evil. In the style of Buddhist temple guardians one lion-dog usually has its mouth open (agyo) and the other has it closed (ungyo). Koma-inu are usually made of stone, although examples of bronze and ceramics also exist.
  • An "Inu Hariko" is a papier-mache dog for the protection of children and mothers during childbirth. It is a traditional folk toy and often has a charming expression. In Tokyo, it often carries an upturned bamboo basket on its bag, a sign for "raking in good fortune." See this page by Dr. Gabi Greve about inu amulets and toys (it even contains some inu haiku!).
  • Who does not know the faithful dog Hachiko (an Akita-ken), whose statue stands in front of Shibuya Station? Hachiko always met his master, Professor Ueno Eizaburo at the station when his master returned from teaching at Tokyo University. On an afternoon in May 1925, the dog kept waiting and waiting, but no Pressor Ueno. In fact, the Professor had died of a stroke while at the university. The faithful dog kept coming back day after day at three o'clock, hoping to find his master. This went on for many years and Hachiko became famous around Shibuya Station. People would feed him and give him shelter. Hachiko therefore became a symbol of loyalty, a General Nogi under the dogs. In 1934, after ten years, the faithful dog himself died in front of the station. Money poured in from around the country to set up a bronze statue in his memory - this statue in front of the station now is a popular meeting point, although the sculpture itself is in its second reincarnation as the original one was used to make bullets in WWII. The grave of Ueno Eizaburo can be found in Aoyama, and as a notice tells us, also the faithful dog has been buried here, together again with his master. Well... in fact, only small part of the dog, because you will also find him, stuffed and well, in the National Science Museum in Ueno.
[Japan's most famous dog: faithful dog Hachiko became legendary after waiting every day for his master at Shibuya Station. He was an Akita dog - Wikipedia - Public Domain]

Have a wonderful Year of the Dog!