Okuri-inu
The Okuri-inu (送り犬) (literally, 'escorting dog') is a kind of yōkai. There are stories of the okuri-inu from the Tōhoku region to Kyushu, but depending on the area it can be a wolf not a dog, and there are numerous differences in its behaviour. It is sometimes also called simply the 'yama-inu' (山犬) (wild dog, wolf) or the 'ōkami' (狼 (wolf).[1]
Characteristics
The okuri-inu closely follows people who are walking along mountain paths at nighttime. If by chance the person falls over they will be immediately eaten up, but if they pretend to be having a short rest they will not be attacked. It is important not to look too tired, though. These features are common to every region, but the dog's behaviour does sometimes vary – for instance in some places it is said that the okuri-inu will charge into you, and if you fall a pack of dogs will quickly appear and attack you.
There are also regions that have stories about what happens once you safely make it to the end of the mountain path. For example, one tells that if you reach the end of the trail, saying something like 'goodbye' or 'thank you for escorting me' will cause the okuri-inu to stop following you. Another one claims that upon returning home you should first wash your feet, give thanks for a safe journey home, then offer the okuri-inu some kind of gift. After this, it will supposedly leave.
Koyama Masao's Chiisagata-gun mindanshū (小県郡民譚集; literally, 'Collection of folk stories from
From the
In places like the
Furthermore, it is said that the Japanese wolf had a trait of following humans in order to monitor them. Yōkai investigator Kenji Murakami, too, has hypothesised that the okuri-ōkami is actually the Japanese wolf, and that tales of strange goings on or protecting people are merely convenient interpretations of the Japanese wolf's nature and traits.[3]
The Japanese expression 'okuri-ōkami', which refers to people who gain a person's good will whilst harbouring bad intentions, or a man who follows a woman, originates from these legends.[4]
See also
References
- ^ ISBN 978-4-620-31428-0.
- ISBN 978-4-915146-44-2.
- ISBN 978-4-06-370037-4.
- ISBN 978-4-3360-5055-7.