The Chinese zodiac sign for 2018 is the Dog (Dog)For for peopleIt is no exaggeration to say that dogs are the most familiar of the animals of the Chinese zodiac.However, it has been completely hidden behind the recent cat boom,It seems to be overshadowed.

Keeping dogs as pets had already begun in the Jomon period.It seems that a dog bone believed to be a Japanese dog has been excavated from a Jomon site. The bones of a dog believed to be a Japanese dog have been excavated from Jomon ruins. Also, a dog named "Omaru" appears in the Heian-period literature "Makurazoshi" (The Pillow Book). Compared to the emperor's beloved cat, he is treated much worse. ......

An easy visual to understand is the Kamakura-era "Kasuga Gongen Kenki Emaki" (Kasuga Gongen Experience Scroll). In it,It depicts a dog that was given a collar and other items, and one can imagine that it was adored.

Kasuga Gongen Kengen Kenshi. Axis 13
(Reprinted from the National Diet Digital Collections)

The dog, however, in addition to being popular as a pet and a hunting dog,It has served as a lucky charm.Because dogs are fecund and puppies grow up well,It has long been revered as a talisman for safe delivery and growth of children.For example, people say, "It is good to wear a belly band on the day of the dog," or they give a dog papier-mâché as a gift to a newborn child. In the Edo period (1603-1867), it was customary to deliver a male dog papier-mâché to the wife's family home and a female to the husband's family home when the couple got married. In some regions, there are legends that "putting dog feces under the bed will help ease childbirth" or "if a pregnant woman loves a dog, her delivery will be light.

Kyoizumi Omochiya Eshu. Vol.13 Miyamotome-no Inubariko
(Reprinted from the National Diet Digital Collections)

And in a strange story from another region,If you take good care of your dog before your death, when your master dies, your dog will carry you across the Sanzu River and take over your suffering in the underworld.It is said. Dogs are loyal dogs even in the underworld. Dogs are said to prevent evil and protect the righteous. When I was a child, I heard from an elderly neighbor that a dog's howl drives away evil, and that bad things do not come into a house with a dog. At the time, I just thought, "Wow," and never asked why.

In the first place, since ancient times, it has been used to ward off evil,A-Un "komainu" (guardian dogs) sitting at the entrance of the shrineIt is said that the original is a lion. The prototype is said to be a lion, but for the Japanese, it is still a lion.Image of "dogis strong.

Before,A story about komainu (guardian dogs) introduces some of the komainu in Kyoto City.So, this time I visited the other day.Episodes of Komainu (guardian dogs) at Kago-jinja Shrine in AmanohashidateI would like to address this issue.

The two guardian dogs that sit at the head of the shrine are known as guardians to ward off evil,It is said to be the most famous stone guardian dog of the Kamakura period in Japan.However, the spirit of the creator was so strong that it sometimes escaped from the shrine grounds and appeared in the rows of pine trees in Amanohashidate, startling people. Iwami Jyutaro, a great warrior of the Warring States period, heard the rumor and ambushed the komainu in the rows of pine trees, slaying it with his sword when it appeared. When the guardians appeared, he slashed them with his sword. The guardians, whose legs had been cut off, never came out again. A closer look at the two guardian dogs reveals that they still have scars on their legs, as legend has it. We feel a little sorry that they were slashed in the leg just because they startled people by walking around.

The white part of A's right leg is said to be a cut mark.

Now, dogs have been used as a guardian deity for safe childbirth and child rearing, as a charm against evil, and as pets.Today, they contribute to people in a different way.Rescue dogs, police dogs, guide dogs, and other dogs are used in a wide range of fields. Recently, dogs with a sense of smell that is tens of thousands to 100 million times greater than that of humans have begun to play an active role as "cancer-detecting dogs. These dogs sniff out urine to determine if it is cancerous or not, and their accuracy rate is close to 100%. The accuracy rate is said to be close to 100%!

Dogs have lived closely with and helped people for a long time.This year, the year of the dog, will bring another dog boom!

Akita dog I met in the city