Extinct wolf a symbol of what Japan has lost
The Japanese wolf officially became extinct 99 years ago. More accurately,
there has not been a confirmed sighting since the last of the species was
captured in the village of Higashi-Yoshino, Nara Prefecture, in 1905.
But is the species really extinct? My thoughts turned to various extinct
animals when the Paleontological Society of Japan last Sunday released a
picture of a wolf’s skull, said to be the largest ever discovered.
Two years ago, a forum titled “Nihon Okami-no Sonogo’ (What’s become of
the Japanese wolf?) was held in the village of Otaki in Saitama
Prefecture. There had been reports of wolf sightings and howls heard. In
this village, they once tried to lure wolves by playing an audio tape of
howling Canadian forest wolves.
Folklorist Kunio Yanagita was also interested in the Japanese wolf. In the
early Showa Era (1926-1989), Yanagita wrote in his book “Okami-no Yukue’
(Wolf’s whereabouts): “I do not subscribe to the theory that this species
is extinct.’
However, he was unable to conclude the animals were still around, either.
With too little evidence to go on, he noted, “My sense tells me we may
never know the answer.’
In Australia, a cloning project is under way to bring an extinct species
back to life. The project team has taken a DNA sample from the preserved
specimen of a Tasmanian tiger, and has succeeded in partially duplicating
this sample. The Tasmanian tiger is believed to have been extinct for 68
years.
The concept of “regeneration’ is the theme of “Warai Okami’ (Laughing
wolf), a novel by Yuko Tsushima published by Shinchosha.
The author draws a parallel between Japanese wolves and a boy and a girl
who are living in the chaos of post-World War II Japan.
In the novelist’s mind, the Japanese wolf is a symbol of what Japan is
losing today, and the wolf also stands for the vitality that can
“regenerate’ contemporary society.
A monument inscribed with a haiku was erected in the village of
Higashi-Yoshino five years ago. The haiku by Toshio Mihashi says: “I
walk/ With that wolf/ That is no more.’