The breed we know today as Akitas derived from ancient hunting or Matagi dogs found in the northern area of Honshu Island, which is the main island of Japan. Today, this area is the province of Akita which gives the breed its name. Akita Province is a mountainous, sparsely settled area, and the dogs hunted large elk and the fierce Yezo bear. Purportedly, the dogs were used in pairs and pursued their prey quietly. During the 1600's as the cult of bushido gained a foothold in Japanese culture, one of the samurai's favored pastimes was watching dog fights. Their popularity continued into fairly modern times. Unfortunately, one of the breeds used for fighting was the dog from Akita (or Dewa, at it was known during the 1900") Province. To improve their fighting ability, the Japanese crossed the northern hunting dog with several other breeds. Finally, concerned fanciers became alarmed at the deterioration of the breed and began trying to restore it to its original hunting type. With the rise of nationalism that marked Japanese history in the early part of this century came a corresponding interest in their native dogs, and the Preservation Society for Japanese Dogs, known as Nippo, was formed in the early 30's. This was followed by two societies devoted to the Akita Inu (dog), Akikyo and Akiho. Their efforts were set back seriously during the war, when the Japanese government passed an edict that all large non-military dogs should be killed. They took too much food and supervision in a war-time economy. The Akitas that survived were dogs that were hidden by their owners. After the war, so few were left that other Japanese breeds of differing size were used to restore the Akita. A few other breeds were also used. The dogs were very popular with American soldiers during the occupation of Japan and many of them brought dogs back to the US. Interested in establishing the breed here, they began taking steps to have the breed registered which finally occurred in 1972, after which, no further registrations from Japan were allowed. This changed several years ago when AKC recognized the Japan Kennel Club and reciprocity of registrations began. Over the ensuring years, though, the Japanese have taken a different approach to the dogs and have changed their standard several times as the dogs changed. Here, we have the same standard as we started with. The dogs have improved structurally but are essentially the same type that we began with. How the divergence between the mother country's dogs and ours will affect the breeding the future, only time will tell. Written by Sherry Wallis |
