Inu no Torii

Literally "Dogs of the Street." I suddenly felt the urge to draw some new cast members for ZATSUINU. (See my earilier devition, STRAY DOG) It was really fun; every character in the picture was hand-selected from the dog show on TV for looks and personality. I had a blast. From left to right:

Nake: Afghan Hound. He's something that he personally refers to as a "wandering philosopher." In other words, a hippie. This dude might be a few bricks short of a load... He thinks he's going blind because his bangs impair his vision. That's right folks-he actually wears glasses to see past his own hair. Wow. But once you get past his eccentricity and distant nature, he's actually a pretty nice guy. Nake-kun makes it his policy to remain an unfaltering pacifist, and he never eats while some one else goes hungry. Even Zatsu admits that Nake has saved his butt a few times; and the absent-minded nomad can be something of a mentor and teacher to those around him. Once you figure out what the cryptic, abstract disscussions actually mean, that is. Don't be too repelled by his oddness-Nake is a kind person behind all the strangeness. "Nake" is a contraction of nagai ke, which translates to "very long hair." Is also pronounced the same as a word for a new concept or fresh idea; a fitting name for the thoughtful vagabond.

Uma: Carolina hound, also known as the American Dingo. It's a variant of what breeders call a pariah dog, which is a feral dog whos family has been street bound for at least four generations. For more info, go here: [link] As for the character herself, Uma has a strange, if not interesting, perspective. She considers herself a purebred mongrel. Yes, I am aware that said statement is a complete oxymoron. That just shows you how contradictory and odd she is. "Uma" is the name of a Hindu goddess, but it is also Japanese for "horse."

Zatsu: Mutt; his mother was a pedigree Merle Blue Australian Shepard, and his father was your run-of-the-mill street mongrel. Interesting lineage, I know. Guess who he takes after. Anyway, we're all familiar with Zatsu-kun. He's loud, he's stubborn, and he's wild and feral as any beast you can drudge from the amazon. Zatsu loves fresh meat, and lingers in the alleys behind restuarants for a shot at catching the unwanted meat right as it's thrown out. The little bugger can run like the wind and survive just about anything, if only by force of pure luck. His right ear? Permanently damaged in a fight with a Rottweiler. Smaaaart... "Zatsu" means "mongrel."

Aohi: Blue Lacy. A great-uncle of mine raised them for decades; they're very beautiful, intelligent dogs. Don't try to pronounce his name; you will only be met with hardship. Aohi may have been born on a farm, but he's a full-blown housedog nonetheless. He had no idea how to survive when he was separated from his owner. If it weren't for Zatsu feeling sorry for him, he'd still be wandering around the highway eating the mushrooms that grew from cracks in the asphalt. Poor kid... This city's gonna eat him up. His name is Japanese for "Blue Day."

Oushii: Bull Mastiff / St. Bernard mix. Yup-he's a BIG dog. Not much of a backstory to him, really... He was a gaurd dog at the local junkyard for four years before he actually broke the chain and escaped. This mutt has a hair trigger; he'll kick your ass just for lookin' at him funny. The word "Oushii" is a misspelling of "oshi," the word for "bull" or "ox."

Whew! There you have it, peeps. My brain hurts. Enjoy.

STRAY DOG and all the characters listed here are copyright to me.