Changes

* Japanese: 狼 ''("ōkami")''

* Japanese: 狼 ''(Ookami)''

Ōkami is the Japanese name for the creature commonly called the Japanese wolf (Canus lupus  

ôkami is the Japanese name for the creature commonly called the Japanese wolf (Canus lupus hodophylax), which became extinct in 1905, though there have been many sitings since, mostly concentrating around the Kii Peninsula.  Because of its small size and stature, there is some dispute as to whether it was an actual wolf, the term "wolf-dog" being given as a possible alternate.  In fact, the term ''yama inu'' (山犬, "mountain dog") is a common Japanese term for the wolf. 

==Ôkami in Folk Belief==

 

==Ōkami in Folk Belief==

In folklore, the wolf was associated with the mountains (山, yama) and was thought to be both benevolent and malevolent.  An anonymous Japanese said that "[no animal] is as frightening as [the wolf] is." (Knight, 136)  It is quick and agile, and Yanagita Kunio, the father of Japanese folklore studies, said that "the wolf can hide even where there is only a single reed".  In Edo period Japan, the word ''yama-inu'' became slang for a rabid dog.   

In folklore, the wolf was associated with the mountains (山, yama) and was thought to be both benevolent and malevolent.  An anonymous Japanese said that "[no animal] is as frightening as [the wolf] is." (Knight, 136)  It is quick and agile, and Yanagita Kunio, the father of Japanese folklore studies, said that "the wolf can hide even where there is only a single reed".  In Edo period Japan, the word ''yama-inu'' became slang for a rabid dog.   

On the other hand, the wolf has a benevolent side as well.  At night when travelers are lost in the mountains, the wolf at times will escort them to the doors of their homes.  In such capacity, these wolves are known as ''okuri-ōkami'' (送り狼, "sending wolf").  In some stories of okuri-ōkami, the wolf is never seen, but its presence is known by the constant chirping of a sparrow at the traveler's side.  (Knight, 136).  However, the wolf was also said to turn on some travelers as soon as its home was reached, and also that the wolf could judge between the good or bad and would maul the latter if it came upon them in the mountains.   

On the other hand, the wolf has a benevolent side as well.  At night when travelers are lost in the mountains, the wolf at times will escort them to the doors of their homes.  In such capacity, these wolves are known as ''okuri-ôkami'' (送り狼, "sending wolf").  In some stories of okuri-ôkami, the wolf is never seen, but its presence is known by the constant chirping of a sparrow at the traveler's side.  (Knight, 136).  However, the wolf was also said to turn on some travelers as soon as its home was reached, and also that the wolf could judge between the good or bad and would maul the latter if it came upon them in the mountains.   

The wolf has largely been seen by peasants as a benevolent animal, and there are many village rites that involve or respond to the wolf.  In contrast to the wolf's historical persecution in the West as an evil animal, in Japan if one kills a wolf for whatever reason, that man and his family had reason to fear divine retribution.  Also, in certain villages it was a custom to make an offering of sekihan (red rice, used mainly in festivals and rites) whenever a wolf cub was born; and wolves were sometimes known to make return offerings of meat when a village woman gave birth.  Wolves also were said to leave certain kills as a gift for the village, though if the villagers did not leave it a portion of the meat as a return gift, the wolf would grow angry.  The reason the wolf was so highly regarded is that it was a protector of the rice field against boars, deer, and hares.  (Knight, 139-40)   

The wolf has largely been seen by peasants as a benevolent animal, and there are many village rites that involve or respond to the wolf.  In contrast to the wolf's historical persecution in the West as an evil animal, in Japan if one kills a wolf for whatever reason, that man and his family had reason to fear divine retribution.  Also, in certain villages it was a custom to make an offering of sekihan (red rice, used mainly in festivals and rites) whenever a wolf cub was born; and wolves were sometimes known to make return offerings of meat when a village woman gave birth.  Wolves also were said to leave certain kills as a gift for the village, though if the villagers did not leave it a portion of the meat as a return gift, the wolf would grow angry.  The reason the wolf was so highly regarded is that it was a protector of the rice field against boars, deer, and hares.  (Knight, 139-40)   

==Ōkami in Folktales==

==Ôkami in Folktales==

The wolf appears in many folktales, of which only a couple are discussed here.   

The wolf appears in many folktales, of which only a couple are discussed here.