Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Inugami, Inuzuka, Loyal Dog
Category: Dog
The Myth
Inugami Myojin refers to dogs worshipped after sacrificing themselves to save their masters from giant snakes. Stories of such loyal dogs exist throughout Japan, and shrines or mounds are often built to honor them.
Long ago, a hunter lived by the Shirajiya River in Goshu and kept a prized dog named Koshiromaru. One day, while hunting deep in the mountains, he took shelter under a rotten tree for the night. Late at night, Koshiromaru began barking repeatedly at him and would not stop. Enraged, the hunter drew his sword and cut off the dog’s head. The severed head leaped onto the rotten tree and bit into the throat of a giant snake that had been hiding there, ready to swallow the hunter. The dog’s head bit the snake to death and saved his master. Realizing the dog’s intention, the hunter mourned and built a shrine on the spot, worshipping the dog as a god. This shrine became known as Inugami no Myojin, and the area’s name was said to come from this event.
Another story tells of a hunter in Mutsu who kept many hunting dogs and spent a night in the mountains inside a hollow tree. Late at night, one dog suddenly woke and barked furiously, leaping toward him. Believing the dog meant to harm him, the man tried to kill it, but when he moved away from the hollow tree, the dog jumped inside and bit a giant snake hiding there. The man then killed the snake with his sword and returned home with the dog, realizing it had saved his life.
Stories of loyal dogs saving their masters from snakes are found in many places, and the dogs are worshipped under names such as Inugami or Inugami Myojin.
Gallery
Sources
TYZ Yokai Blog. (2018). 犬神明神 (Inugami Myōjin). From https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1069534939.html
Interpretive Lenses
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Political / Social Readings
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