Inukaibe - Inukaibe

Japanese: 犬養部 - いぬかいべ

One of the Shinabe clans in the pre-Taika period. The four clans, Agata Inukai, Wakai Inukai, Azumi Inukai, and Amanoinukai, were considered to be Tomo no Miyatsuko, but the people led by these four clans were only one type of Inukai clan, and the subordinate relationship is not clear from the name. Regarding their duties, there are two competing theories: one that says they raised, trained, and used hunting dogs to obtain meat to be offered as offerings, and the other that they were used as guard dogs to guard public facilities of the Yamato government such as the Imperial gates and Miyake storehouses. However, the guard dog theory seems plausible given that the Keninukai clan is related to the Ogura (Okura) clan and the Wakainukai clan is related to the Kura clan, the names of Wakainukai and Umiinukai are the gate names of the twelve gates of Miyagi (renamed Koukamon and Ankamon in the early Heian period), and there are quite a few examples of the place names "Miyake" and "Inukai" coexisting throughout the country.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

大化前代の品部（しなべ）の一つ。県犬養（あがたいぬかい）氏，稚(若)犬養（わかいぬかい）氏，阿(安)曇犬養（あずみいぬかい）氏，海犬養（あまのいぬかい）氏の4氏を伴造（とものみやつこ）とするが，それら4氏に率いられる部民は犬養部の一種だけで，名称からでは統属関係が明らかでない。その職掌については，供御に奉る肉をとるために猟犬を飼育･調教･駆使したとする説と，宮門や屯倉（みやけ）など大和政権の公的施設を守衛するために番犬を使ったとする説とが対立していたが，県犬養氏の同族に巨椋(大蔵)（おおくら）氏があり，稚犬養氏の同族に椋(内蔵)（くら）氏があること，稚犬養，海犬養の氏名が宮城十二門の門号となっていること(平安初期に皇嘉（こうか）門，安嘉（あんか）門と改称)，また，全国各地に〈みやけ〉と〈いぬかい〉の地名の併存例が少なからず現存することなどからすれば，番犬説が妥当であろう。

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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