Akita
History
The Akita is the largest of the six Japanese spitz-type
dogs. For several hundred years, these dogs were used in
male-female pairs to hold game such as bear, wild boar,
or deer at bay until the hunter arrived. They have also
been used to retrieve waterfowl as they have a soft mouth.
They were usually kept by the aristocracy or wealthy people.
At the end of the 19th century, the Japanese crossed
this large dog with non-native dogs (such as the
Tosa Fighting
Dog, German Shepherd Dog, St. Bernard, Mastiff) to develop
a dog of increased size and strength for pit fighting.
A lord of the Odate Castle was devoted to dog fighting.
Thus, fighting dogs became popular, and demand for large
and powerful dogs increased.. The Odate town major, Mr.
Shigeie Izumi, in an effort to preserve the purity of
the Odate breed, established the “Akita-Inu Preservation
Society” in 1927 (Inu is the Japanese word for dog).
The Akita gradually lost its popularity as a fighting dog
because other breeds proved more efficient fighters (and
dog fighting had been outlawed).
In 1919, concerned by the Japanese breeds’ potential
extinction, the Japanese included the large spitz-type
dog in a list of natural monuments to be preserved. On
the occasion of it’s designation as a natural monument
on July 1931, the “Akita dog” was so named
for the first time as a Japanese dog. At that time, many
of the Akitas resembled the crossbred fighting dog. The
name was changed from the Odate dog to the Akita dog and
after searching the relatively isolated villages where
the Akita was still used for its original hunting purposes,
nine superior examples of Akitas were designated. Efforts
were made in the late 30’s, especially in Odate,
to purify the Akita.
The Akita first became famous in the 1920s when the
story of “Hachiko” was published in a newspaper.
Dr. Ueno, a professor at the Tokyo university, commuted
each day by train. Together with his dog "Hachiko",
he would walk to the Shibuya Station in the morning, then
at 3:00 pm sharp, Hachiko would be waiting at the station
for Dr. Ueno’s return. Dr. Ueno died of a stroke
at the university when Hachiko was just a year-and-a-half
old. Hachiko was taken in by a new family, but there is
no loyalty like that of an Akita. Over the next ten years
and until his own death, Hachiko went to the Shibuya station
each day to wait for his master’s return.
During the World War II most dogs in Japan were conscripted
for fur for military garments. The police ordered
the capture and confiscation of all dogs other
than the
German Shepherd
Dogs, which were used as military dogs. Some fanciers
tried to bypass the order by crossbreeding their
dogs with German
Shepherd Dogs. Also the food shortage during the
war caused anyone seen feeding dogs often to be
branded as a traitor.
However, a few people managed to secretly keep
their Akitas. During the immediate post-war period
there
was severe food
and clothing shortage, which lead to that some
dogs became sources for hides and meat. Therefore,
barely
a dozen
Akita dogs survived the war and three different
types existed: “Matagi
Akitas” , “Fighting Akitas” and “Shepherd
Akitas”.
Although the first Akita to come to the United
States was the puppy given to Helen Keller on
her visit
to Japan in
1937, breeding stock did not arrive until Akitas
were brought here in some numbers after WWII
by servicemen stationed
in Japan. These were very difficult times for
Japan and many Japanese were near starvation because
food was so
scarce. Nevertheless, Akita breeding was re-started.
From the reconstruction period after the War,
two
major
breeding
lines, the Ichinoseki and the Dewa became popular.
The Dewa lines started to decline in popularity
after the
late 1950’s. Several reasons can be pointed out, but most
important was the influence of mixed breeding in this line. “Goromaru” and “Gyokuun” passed
on the Ichinoseki lines. “Goromaru” is regarded
as the most important foundation stud dog in the restoration
process and one can still find his special markings in
dogs of today. Around 1960, thanks to “Toou” and “Toun”,
the Akita breed became popular again. All these dogs can
be found in most pedigrees of today, be it in Japan, the
U.S. or elsewhere. Best suited as a companion now, some Akitas also work
as sled, police, therapy, guard and hunting dogs. Several
have herding titles, and several are trained companions
of hearing- and sight-impaired people. Akitas are also
involved in obedience trials and tracking, however their
high intelligence and dominant nature can present quite
a challenge to their trainer. In general they are discerning
guardians of their families. Because of their hunting background,
Akitas can appear aggressive as they may consider smaller
animals to be game.
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