Wolves in Japan?

Question

I hear all these legends about wolves in japan, and i see them in other media, such as okami and a miyazaki film thats title escapes me right now, anyway, are there even wolves in japan? and what is the signifigance of a white wolf in their folklore?

Answer 1

Now that you mention it, wolves do seem to appear pretty frequently in anime (Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke, etc.). Just found this on Wikipedia: "In Japan, grain farmers once worshiped wolves at shrines and left food offerings near their dens, beseeching them to protect their crops from wild boars and deer. 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. The Ainu people believed that they were born from the union of a wolflike creature and a goddess.[Walker, Brett L. (2005). The Lost Wolves Of Japan, pp.331. ]"