- 14 Mar 2002
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Having become extinct at the beginning of the twentieth century, the Japanese wolf continues to be sighted in the rugged mountains of Okutama and Okuchichibu. The last known wolf died in captivity in Nara in 1905. Hiroshi Yagi, who heads a nonprofit organization dedicated to proving Japanese wolves still exist, believes he will one day be able to prove his hunch. While giving an address about his work in mid-November at the famed Omachi Alpine Museum here, multiple participants came forward with stories of encountering creatures they believed to be Japanese wolves. The event coincided with a special exhibition about the city and the animals that used to inhabit the area.
The Chichibu wild dog that Hiroshi Yagi photographed in October 1996 in the Chichibu region of Saitama Prefecture.
Last year, Nippon.com had an excellent feature on the Japanese wolf by photographer Hayashi Michiko, who looked for traces of the enigmatic animals.
The Chichibu wild dog that Hiroshi Yagi photographed in October 1996 in the Chichibu region of Saitama Prefecture.
Last year, Nippon.com had an excellent feature on the Japanese wolf by photographer Hayashi Michiko, who looked for traces of the enigmatic animals.
Sacred Beasts: Hunting for Traces of the Vanished Japanese Wolf
Japanese wolves, once found across Japan, are thought to have gone extinct over a century ago. Yet sightings and the sounds of distant howls are regularly reported in the Okuchichibu and Okutama mountains to the north and west of central Tokyo, where wolves have long been worshipped...