(From the May 1937 issue of "Nihon Inu")
Dogs are one of the oldest domestic animals known to mankind, and in Japan, excavation of shell middens, which are the remains of Stone Age inhabitants, has revealed the skeletons of dogs kept by the people of that time, one after another.
First of all, these dogs are not dogs made from local wolves, such as Japanese wolves, Hokkaido wolves, or Korean nukutae, nor are they crossbred with these animals.
Secondly, there were already several lines of dogs in North Korea as well as in Honshu at that time, ranging in size from very small to medium or medium-small, and in shoulder height from about 33.33 cm to 51.51 cm. The size of these dogs ranged from very small to medium or medium-small, and their shoulder height ranged from 33.33 cm to 51.51 cm.
Hunting was one of the most important ways of life for most of the inhabitants of that era.
Considering the large number of deer, boar, and other wild animal bones that have been excavated from shell mounds along with dog bones, it is likely that dogs were also used primarily for hunting.
Of course, there are those that were carefully buried, and others that were broken into pieces and used for food, but this should be interpreted as the result of the childish hunting methods of the time, when prey could not be taken for several days, and the dogs that were close at hand were sacrificed.
This is the same phenomenon in the Stone Age in Europe and in Japan.
Now one thing that serves as a source for this Stone Age dog is a dog clay figurine.
These small 3.03cm~6.06cm pieces, kneaded and fired in mud, are primitive in their technique, but they capture the characteristics of a dog's appearance.
This indicates that dogs of the time had curly tails and erect ears.
Judging from the above bones and clay figurines, dogs were already familiar, competent, and indispensable domestic animals for the inhabitants of that time.
Moving forward in time, there are many dog-related documents from the Upper Period (until around 794), but here are a few representative examples,
(1) Dog carving on earthenware used to worship a deity.
Many of the sculptures depict hunting scenes, such as a master on horseback with a bow, followed by a dog wearing a collar, a dog chasing a wounded deer, and a dog cheering on its master as he wrestles with a bear.
(2) In the pictorial style, a large boar is surrounded by five dogs, with its master shooting an arrow from a short distance away.
(3) Dog Haniwa (terra-cotta tomb figurine) excavated from a burial mound in Gunma Prefecture.
It has erect ears, a coiled tail, and a bell on its collar, indicating the owner's attachment to it, and the fact that a boar haniwa was found in the same place suggests that it was a dog used for hunting.
In recent years, dog bones have been found in the sarcophagi of ancient tombs, which may also indicate the extent of their masters' affection and care.
These materials correspond well with the descriptions of hunting and dogs in the records of the time, such as Kojiki, Nihonshoki, Shoku Nihongi, Manyoshu, Engishiki, and each of the Fudoki, etc.
The fact that the tax for men in those days was the so-called "bow and arrow tax," which was used to hunt game, shows the active hunting and canine activities of the time.
What is noteworthy from an animal and dog point of view is that in addition to the scroll tail, what is known today as the difference tail appears in this material from the Upper Period.
All the materials before the Upper Dynasty had erect ears, but in the Kamakura period (1192-1333), drooping ears appear for the first time.
This can be seen in the picture scrolls that depict people's lives at that time.
For example, the dog in the Kozanji picture scroll by Monk Den Toba, which is said to be a policy of the late Fujiwara period, and the Shigisan Engi (Mt. Shigi), etc., has magnificent standing ears.
The typical dog with drooping ears and a curly tail can be seen in works such as the Haraiton emaki, an early Kamakura period work.
Of course, in the Edo period (1603-1867), so-called "street dogs" were often seen with drooping ears, but this is an issue that must be considered in the context of transportation to and from China, and by extension, in dogs.
Returning to the story and examining the development of dog breeding after the Second Modern Period, it was about 1,600 years ago in the Nintoku Emperor's reign that the Imperial Court established a falconry department for hunting, and about 1,400 years ago in the Seonka Emperor's reign that an inukai department was established.
There were very few records on dogs at that time, and even in the families of Lord Saionji and Viscount Mochimyoin, which have been handed down to the present day as the families of the Goyaka, there were almost no dog books handed down.
We know only a little about the breeding and treatment methods of the time from other books, but at that time, there were hunting areas, or "katano," forbidden to the emperor's hunting, and field guards were in charge of guarding them.
According to records such as the fact that hunting parties were sent by imperial decree to patrol the country with hawks and dogs, it is thought that the method of dog breeding and training was making considerable progress.
A study of samurai families reveals that the Ashikaga and Tokugawa shoguns left behind a considerable number of secret books, records, and illustrations of their dog breeders' families, which provide a general overview of their breeding and training methods.
It is important to note at this point that many people generally believe that the era of the “InuKubou” public is the one in which dogs were happiest and also that things related to dogs have progressed the most.
The Shogun Tsunayoshi's dog protection was a misguided form of animal welfare that stemmed from mere compassion for animals, i.e., he did not allow dogs, which were domesticated animals, to be used at all and even prohibited hunting. In the end, stray dogs filled the streets, and the Shogunate was unable to control them.
To think that it was even somewhat beneficial for the dog lord's institution,
(1) The creation of specialized dog doctors and their role in the development of treatment methods.
(2) The "Ketsuketyo," or the dog's family register, has survived to this day, revealing the dog's size, coat color, erect ears, drooping ears, and tail shape at that time.
It is about the only thing that matters.
It was not until after the ban on hunting was lifted after the death of the dog lord “Inukubou” that the dog developed in the manner of a domesticated dog.
It is thought that the time around Yoshimune, who was a hunting enthusiast, was the peak of his career.
To give an overview of the situation, the shoguns' falconry offices were located in three locations: Zoshidani, Sendagi, and Fukiage.
The falconry room has an inubeya, where the trainer is said to be the “inuhiki”, the assistant is said to be the “doukensyuu”, and the person who governs them is said to be the “inuhikigashira”.
First of all, there is the shape of the dog, or the shape of the dog, and the method of judging ability, wisdom, stupidity, and dullness based on the dog's coat color and other factors.
The next step is to acclimate it to its new master, the method of feeding it to acclimate it, and the method of pulling it at night.
This diet included green pea powder and glacial sugar for special training, but in normal times it consisted mainly of rice and tazukuri or Kumano dried bonito flakes.
Exercise and food consumption are also determined by the time of the day.
For example, spring and fall will flow as follows.
7:00 a.m. Take him for a walk of 200-300 m to defecate, return home, give him water, and let him rest for a while.
↓
8:00 a.m. Feeding
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10:00 a.m. Go out for long-distance towing, exercise, training, etc.
The above alone is a way of spending time that is very much in keeping with modern times.
Summer, for example, goes as follows.
Before sunrise Finish exercise
↓
During the day, tie him up in a cool, shady place, sprinkle water around him, and change the location of the tie-up from time to time.
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Evening, go out for exercise.
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At night, after the mosquito coil is lit in the kennel and the smoke is completely gone, we hang a mosquito net and place weights on all four sides, and tie the dog in the middle.
It is prescribed to prevent mosquitoes as it is prescribed to take care of them at night in summer.
In addition, careful attention is paid to the dishes, hair care, and replacing the straw mats.
There are two training sites, one in Zoshidani (2,000 tsubo) and the other in Zoshidani (2,400 tsubo), with mountains, ponds, grassy areas, bamboo groves, and groves of trees for various training.
Field training is attempted by staying overnight for a number of days and walking in the mountains and fields where there is a lot of prey.
Each trainer had one or two dogs, and the trainers must have been very enthusiastic because their livelihood was guaranteed and they were rewarded directly if they showed their merit in front of the shoguns.
The ropes could be as long as 2 Take 5 Shyaku, or as short as 1 Take 2 Shyaku 5 Sun, or as short as 7 Syaku 5 Sun, and the materials used to make the ropes were changed to cotton, tree bark, and other materials depending on the method of use.
The whip used to discipline a dog and the whip used to teach things are called shinae on the one hand and the teaching whip on the other.
The length, thickness, and method of production are all made differently. Shinaeda, for example, is made of fine split bamboo wrapped in cloth so that even if it is struck, it makes only a loud sound and does not cause much pain.
It is also stipulated that no more than three lashes can be given to train a single dog, rather it is harmful, etc., as determined from deep experience.
They were also trained to hunt birds, from small birds such as quails to larger birds such as pheasants, mountain birds, and geese, as well as waterfowl such as ducks, in collaboration with falcons.
At times, the dogs were trained to move freely back and forth from side to side by silent hand signals from the dog's lead, just like modern finger marks.
The use of the "teaching whip" was divided into four different ways of yin-yang, falsity and reality, and the six different ways of calling out to the dog, or what we would call today's "vocal cords" (hira, hou, kattei, tei, hoso and mamori).
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