Although the Ainu hunted the Howling God they did so with poisoned arrows. The influence on the wolf population was therefore likely to be marginal until firearms were introduced to Japan. The persecution escalated and the Japanese Wolf was hunted and trapped persistently, mostly for its skin.
As the human population increased in Japan, so did deforestation and farming. Japan, with one of the highest population densities of any country in the world, could not hope to sustain a wolf population.
The Japanese Wolf, like all wolves of the world, was increasingly perceived as a pest and its territory, with its abundant prey, began to shrink.
Towards the end of the century, governmental bounties were offered where the wolf was originally found in large numbers.
Local governments paid 7 yen for a wolf between 1878-82 and 10 yen after 1888.
