In Japanese folklore, the dog spirit created through a ritual involving a sacrificed dog is an inugami.
An inugami is a type of spirit familiar, traditionally associated with certain families and practitioners of sorcery. Folkloric accounts describe its creation through a violent ritual involving a dog’s death, after which the spirit could be invoked to serve its owner. Depending on the story, an inugami might protect a household, carry out commands, or cause illness and misfortune.
Inugami beliefs were especially associated with western Japan, including Shikoku and parts of the Chūgoku region. Families suspected of possessing such spirits could face social fear and exclusion, because accusations of inugami-mochi, or “inugami possession,” carried a strong stigma.
An inugami is not the same as a shikigami. Inugami are specifically dog spirits in Japanese folklore, while shikigami are ritual spirits in onmyōdō traditions and are not necessarily canine.