wolf, (Canis lupus hodophilax Temminck, 1893) is a subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus). Skeletal remains of the Japanese wolf have been found in archaeological sites, such as Torihama shell mounds, dating from the Jomon period (10,000 to 250 B.C).

The Japanese wolf inhabited Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu Islands but not Hokkaido Island. This indicates that its ancestor may have migrated from the Asian continent through the Korean Peninsula into Japan.