Inugami
The Inugami (Japanese: 犬神) is a type of canine deity in Japanese mythology. He is described as a yōkai with the appearance of a dog, and often as a very powerful spirit whose have the power to possess a human being if he wants to, as well.
It is widely believed that, in order for an Inugami to be born, one must bury a dog in its entirety, leaving visible only the part of the neck and head. In this, while waiting for the dog's death, the person who buried it must tell him all his pains and evil deeds she has committed at some point, until he dies. When this happens, the person must then cut off the dog's head and sewe it back to the body, and thus the Inugami will arise.
Inugamis were often linked to important Japanese clans and families, and sometimes these same families were accused of having been possessed by a Kitsune (a spirit with the appearance of a fox) as well, gaining fame and power very quickly.
Inugami Media
"Inugami" from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by Sekien Toriyama. The one on the bottom-left that looks like a child is a "shirachigo" (白児, "white infant") that was either the inugami's pupil or the yōkai child of a disabled person.
Inugami (犬神) from Bakemono no e (化物之繪, c. 1700), Harry F. Bruning Collection of Japanese Books and Manuscripts, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.
A depiction of an inugami from Oka Kumaomi's Chiriyahokori
