The last wolf ever seen was a young male trapped in Nara Prefecture in 1905. One problem with classifying the Japanese wolf is that the animals were virtually extinct by the beginning of the 20th century. The Ezo wolf, however, was closer in size to the continental types. Whether it was an endemic species or subspecies, the Japanese wolf was clearly smaller than its relatives on the Asian mainland, with proportionately shorter legs and ears. A few scientists, however, think of it as a completely different species, Canis hodophilax.Īctually, this debate is academic. Most researchers classify it as an endemic subspecies of Canis lupus, the gray wolf, or timber wolf, once found across the temperate and subarctic zones of both Eurasia and North America. Zoologists currently disagree on the taxonomic status of the Japanese wolf. Another, larger and heavier type, the Ezo-okami or Ezo wolf, lived on the northern island of Hokkaido. One type, the Nihon-okami or Japanese wolf, was found on the islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Yet, surprisingly, until a little more than 100 years wolves were common all over the main Japanese islands.
There are no Japanese equivalents to “Little Red Riding Hood” and “The Three Little Pigs,” stories in which wolves are portrayed as fierce and dangerous monsters. Also, tales involving wolves are rare among Japanese fairy tales. Today, the only wild members of the dog family found here are the tanuki, or raccoon dog, and two local subspecies of the red fox. Few people would think of Japan as a land of wolves.