ŌKAMI

Wolf as a divine messenger

In the Shinto belief, the ōkami ("wolf") is regarded as a messenger of the kami spirits who can also offer protection against crop raiders such as the wild boar and deer. Wild animals were associated with the mountain spirit Yama-no-kami.

Text from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_wolf

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Full moon in Musashi, 1890

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