Through poisoning, hired hunters, and a bounty system, one of the archipelago's largest carnivores was systematically erased. By the nineteenth century, however, the destruction of wolves had become decidedly unceremonious, as seen on the island of Hokkaido. Highly ritualized wolf hunts were instigated to cleanse the landscape of what many considered as demons. In the eighteenth century, wolves were seen as rabid man-killers in many parts of Japan. The Ainu people believed that they were born from the union of a wolflike creature and a goddess. Talismans and charms adorned with images of wolves protected against fire, disease, and other calamities and brought fertility to agrarian communities and to couples hoping to have children. Grain farmers once worshiped wolves at shrines and left food offerings near their dens, beseeching the elusive canine to protect their crops from the sharp hooves and voracious appetites of wild boars and deer. In this spirited and absorbing narrative, Brett Walker takes a deep look at the scientific, cultural, and environmental dimensions of wolf extinction in Japan and tracks changing attitudes toward nature through Japan's long history. By 1905 they had disappeared from the country.
Many Japanese once revered the wolf as Oguchi no Magami, or Large-Mouthed Pure God, but as Japan began its modern transformation wolves lost their otherworldly status and became noxious animals that needed to be killed. With its clear explanations of Japanese traditions, religion, history, economics, politics, and relations with the West, this book provides an invaluable guide for understanding contemporary Japan.ĭownload The Lost Wolves of Japan Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle Summaries and datelines at the end of each chapter, as well as a glossary, offer additional essential reference points. Meyer also includes cultural, artistic, and religious milestones. Highlighting key historical events, Milton W. The second half traces domestic changes and relevant foreign issues in the modernizing era launched by the Meiji Restoration. The first half of the book explores the pre-Meiji era up to 1868. Now fully updated to the present, this edition also includes an array of photographs and illustrations. For all readers wanting to better understand this dynamic country, this popular and accessible introduction offers an authoritative yet concise overview of two thousand years of Japanese history. Its rich cultural heritage and high-tech society are equally vibrant. Its natural resources are almost nonexistent, yet today it ranks only second after the much larger United States as the most affluent and economically productive nation in the world. Though small in geographic area, the archipelago is the tenth most populous country, with 128 million inhabitants crowded into an area the size of Montana. The emergence of Japan as a political and economic global power has been one of the most remarkable success stories of modern history.
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