Our first instalment looks at the dog craze of the Edo period. During the Edo period, dogs settled in the towns where the common people lived, and the whole neighbourhood would look after them, feeding them and the like. Meanwhile, in the Ooku (the inner quarters of the shogun’s residence), a dog named ‘Chin’ was feted and loved by the princess. There were even dog-rearing manuals much like those we have today. Furthermore, what is the truth behind the famous ‘Edict on Compassion for Living Creatures’?