Dogs have been familiar to the Japanese since ancient times. Dog bones dating back to the Jomon period have been found buried with the same care as humans, and clay figures of dogs with collars have been discovered at archeological sites from the Kofun period. These excavations show that dogs enjoyed a special relationship with the Japanese, as hunting partners and as life companions.
Dogs appear in Heian-period literature such as The Pillow Book and The Tale of Genji, depicted roaming about freely. In the subsequent Kamakura period, foreign dogs were highly valued as hounds for falconry. Later centuries saw the popularity of a sport called inuoumono (dog chasing) in which people competed their archery skills by shooting dogs with rounded arrows. The Edo period, on the other hand, saw many pre-eminent painters of the time depict charming puppies, and stories in which dogs were anthropomorphized became popular. Even today, advertising and fiction feature many anthropomorphic dogs. Both in the past and present, dogs have been creatures dear to the Japanese.
