Inugami
Image associated with the exact linked encyclopedia article; consult credited file description for its interpretation.
Overview
Inugami are spirits associated with dogs and with accounts of possession, particularly in western Japanese traditions. The name does not guarantee that every description resembles an ordinary dog: reported forms can be tiny and animal-like, and illustrated appearances differ. Stories connect these beings with households believed to control or inherit them, making the social circumstances of an accusation as significant as the imagined creature.
Sekien includes an inugami with an accompanying small figure called Shirachigo. That print is evidence for a particular representation, not a complete explanation of possession practices. Historical accounts of making or controlling spirits also contain disturbing allegations of animal harm; they should be read critically as narratives and accusations. An entry about inugami must distinguish belief, reported ritual and social stigma from proof that a supernatural agent existed.
Origins & earliest records
Selected illustrated witness: Toriyama Sekien's Gazu Hyakki Yagyō (1776). This is an attestation of the named representation, not a claim that the belief began in that year.
Records & interpretation
Historical prints and textual references establish an imagined being and its representation. The linked contextual article distinguishes the pictured form from regional accounts; these sources do not establish zoological existence.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Gazu Hyakki Yagyō
Selected historical witness; individual illustration now checked in the separately linked primary scan. This edition is not a claim of the earliest oral attestation.
Family, evolution & connections
Domestic dog
Inugami accounts associate a spirit with dogs, but reported and illustrated appearances vary. The domestic dog provides a familiar animal comparison, not an explanation of possession or household stigma. Sekien’s pictured figure documents one artistic representation; the link does not classify the spirit as a dog species.
Primary records and illustrations
Gazu Hyakki Yagyō
Volume 1, Yin (陰); digitized Smithsonian Libraries copy, 1805 edition. IIIF canvas index 15 (zero-based); GazuHyakkiyagyo1Tori_0016.jp2
Named 犬神 with 白児 on the same plate; a seated dog-headed figure and a smaller child occupy an interior. Visual inspection of the digitized plate and its printed label; image URL is copied from the actual IIIF manifest, not a guessed leaf reference.
Encyclopedia background
An additional attributed reference, separate from the editorial profile above.
Read the open encyclopedia overview
Inugami (犬神; "dog god/spirit"), like kitsunetsuki, is a spiritual possession by the spirit of a dog, widely known about in western Japan. They seemed firmly rooted until recent years in eastern Ōita Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, and a part of Kōchi Prefecture in northern Shikoku, and it is also theorized that Shikoku, where no foxes (kitsune) could be found, is the main base of the inugami. Furthermore, traces of belief in inugami exists in the Yamaguchi Prefecture, all of Kyushu, even going past the Satsunan Islands all the way to the Okinawa Prefecture. In the Miyazaki Prefecture, the Kuma District, Kumamoto Prefecture, and Yakushima, the local dialect pronounces it "ingami" and in Tanegashima, they are called "irigami." It can also be written in kanji as 狗神.
Text from Wikipedia contributors, “Inugami”. CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted introduction; formatting changed. Retrieved 5 October 2026. The source article may have changed since retrieval.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Primary illustrated book / national-library recordNocturnal Procession of the Hundred Demons — historical editionResearch access: 2026-10-05
- National library / primary illustration contextTORIYAMA Sekien’s Illustrated Night Parade of the Demon HordeResearch access: 2026-10-05
- Secondary referenceInugami — contextual overview and bibliographyResearch access: 2026-10-05
- Primary illustrated plate / institutional digitizationGazu Hyakki Yagyō — directly inspected IIIF canvas index 15 (zero-based); GazuHyakkiyagyo1Tori_0016.jp2Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
Reference illustrationInugami
Image associated with the exact linked encyclopedia article; consult credited file description for its interpretation.
