Akainuko - Akainuko

Japanese: 赤犬子∥阿嘉犬子 - あかいんこ

A cultural hero passed down mainly in Yomitan Village, Okinawa Prefecture. Akainuko is said to have been named after his mother who loved Akainu, but another theory is that he was called Akainuko because he was from Aka (a small village name). The legend of Akainuko includes a section that describes the discovery of Kuragaya, a precious well in Sobe, Yomitan Village, as the achievement of Akainuko, the beloved Aka dog of Akainuko's mother. There is a spirit of trying to connect the important event of discovering the well to Akainuko, but it is interesting to note the stories of human-dog marriages and animal well discovery that are passed down in Okinawa and Southeast Asia.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

沖縄県読谷（よみたん）村を中心に伝承される文化英雄。赤犬子の名は，その母が赤犬を寵愛していたゆえとされるが，一説には阿嘉（あか）(小字名)の出身であるので阿嘉いん子と称されたとする。赤犬子伝説には，読谷村楚辺（そべ）の貴重な井泉であった暗井（くらがー）の発見を赤犬子の母が寵愛する赤犬の功績として語る部分がある。そこには，井泉の発見という重大事を赤犬子につなげようとする心意があるが，沖縄･東南アジア一帯に伝承される人犬通婚譚，動物の井泉発見譚が語られており興味深い。

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

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