Inugami
犬神 ( いぬがみ )
Like the real dog, this canine spirit is a breed created and maintained entirely for the use of humans. And like more natural strains of hound crafted for violent purposes, the inugami can be a dangerous investment for its owner, haunting and terrorizing the human who sought to turn it on others.
One method for creating an inugami, it is said, is to tie a hungry dog and place a bowl of food just out of its reach. When its desire is thus focused, its head must be cut off and enshrined, moving its ravenous needs into the spirit world and creating a terrible weapon for the dog's former master.
An inugami that goes bad or gets out of its master's control is difficult to get rid of. Those who try to abandon it on isolated islands have still found themselves carrying the creature's curse. Only a powerful sorceror or witch doctor can quell the inugami's bloodthirst, and cure the unfortunate bystanders made sick by the dog-ghost's possession.
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