Oki's Dog - Oki's Dog

...In the "Illustrated Guide to Famous Products of the Mountains and Seas of Japan," the large one is called "nefu," the medium one "choki," and the small one "uneu," but in Ainu, "onnep" seems to have referred to either the adult female or male ("Classified Ainu Language Dictionary"). It is also written as "kai-gu," and sometimes rides the cold currents to the coast of Kinkazan, which is probably why it was called "okinawa no inu" (dog of the ocean) in Sanriku. Its meat and penis were prized as aphrodisiacs, and its fur was used for rugs and footwear, so imitations were also made from other animals. ...

*Some of the terminology that refers to "Oki no Inu" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…《日本山海名産図会》には，大をネッフ，中をチョキ，小をウネウというとあるが，アイヌ語でオンネプonnepは成獣の雌，あるいは雄をいったらしい(《分類アイヌ語辞典》)。海狗とも記され，寒流に乗って金華山沖までくることもあり，三陸で〈沖の犬〉と呼ばれたのもこれらしい。主として肉と陰茎を強精薬，毛皮を敷物，履物として珍重したので他の動物によって偽物もつくられた。…

※「沖の犬」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報