Bones of Extinct Japanese Wolves Found At Private Houses in Kanagawa Pref. Village Thought to Be Used for Worship
The Japanese wolf is believed to have gone extinct in the early 20th century — and with only a few stuffed specimens remaining in Japan, there have been few ways to study the species’ history.
Several skulls and bones of the extinct Japanese wolf were discovered in private homes in Kiyokawa village, a village in Kanagawa Prefecture believed to have been used for worship. The discovery was made possible through DNA analysis and morphological characteristics. The Japanese wolf, believed to have gone extinct in the early 20th century, was once revered in the village due to a wolf-worshipping tradition.
The shrine Musashi-Mitake-Jinja, located at the summit of Mt. Mitake in Ome, Tokyo, was the site of a wolf legend in which a white wolf guided Prince Yamato Takeru to safety and was enshrined as a god known as "Okuchimagami." The Oshi, Shinto priests who traveled throughout the Kanto region spreading the faith, visited Musashi-Mitake-Jinja and handed out charms to worshippers.
The bones were thought to be used in folk remedies, likely ground into a powdered medicine. The discovery of the bones is significant as it provides insights into the genetic diversity of the species and how inbreeding may have contributed to its extinction.
Written by urgent.news from The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
