While “Japanese Pug,” was another name for the Japanese Chin, when the real Pug made its way to Japan from Korea, it was referred to as Sichuan Pai.

The breed’s history in that country is quite old: Among the gifts sent from Korea to Japan around 732 AD was a small short-faced dog known as the Sichuan Pai dog. The word, “pai,” had long been in use in China since around 1 AD.

The most complete dictionary of Chinese characters ever assembled before the modern era was the Kangxi Dictionary, so named for the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing dynasty who in 1710 ordered its compilation. During the 18th and 19th centuries, it was the standard Chinese dictionary being used, and it quoted two old encyclopedias when identifying the meaning of “pai.” The Shuo-Wen dictionary from the Han Dynasty defined it as “a dog with short legs.” The Kwang Yun dictionary from the Sung Dynasty, around 1000 AD, defined “pai” as a “dog with a short head.”

Today in Japan, the breed’s name is パグ, pronounced “Pagu.” The breed is so popular in Japan that there is a national holiday, Japanese Pug Day, on August 9th on which owners dress up their Pugs in headscarves. You can get a sense of this from the Instagram page of fugaechan who shares marvelous photos of her Pug including one celebrating Japanese Pug Day.

Image: Pug Scarf by ©Monicaclick | Dreamstime.com