The history of the Japan Akita and American Akita breeds
This page was last updated: 2009-12-06
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Early history

Research data on native domesticated animals seem to indicate that the Akita dog came from the continent before it was separated by the Sea of Japan, while the Oriental type dog such as the Shiba dog is believed to have come from China and Korea, with settlers from Asia, to the Hiroshima area. Biochemical data from the studies done by Mr. Hamanaka (Biochemistry Department, Tokyo University, show that the glycolipid, N-acetyl noiramine (the Western type is found in the Akita dog, Hokkaido dog and the Chow, while the glycolipid, N-glycolyl noiramine (the Oriental type is found in the Shiba, Kai, Shikoku and Tosa dogs and the Pekingese.

Several breeds of dogs are associated with particular areas of Japan. They include the Akita, Hokkaido, Kishu, Shiba, Kai, and Shikoku, (in Japanese, the word for dog is “inu” and the Akita is the largest in size and weight. These dogs all have the typical Akita face, erect ears and a curled tail. In general, Japanese dogs are believed to have special characteristics associated with the concepts of spirit, obedience, loyalty and bravery.

The fifth Tokugawa shogun, Tsunayoshi, during the Edo Period (1615-1867, was known as the Dog Shogun Tsunayoshi because of his compassion for living creatures. Bear-hunting scenes painted at that period also show the Japanese dogs of that era with erect ears, curled tail and an occasional sickle tail.

Japans borders were closed for foreigners until 1854, but since then people and animals have migrated, especially to the island Shikoku. Imported dogs, such as Mastiff, Pointer, St. Bernhard, German Shepherd, etc., were cross-bred with native dogs thus producing the mastiff dog Tosa-Inu, the fighting dog.

A lord of the Odate Castle was devoted to dog fighting. Thus, fighting dogs became popular, and demand for large and powerful dogs increased during the 1890s. Some of the breeders crossbreed the Akita dog with Tosa fighting dog trying to produce better fighting dogs.

Modern times

Early in the Showa era, the Odate town major, Mr. Shigeie Izumi, was becoming very anxious about the crossbreeding of Odate dogs. In an effort to preserve the purity of the Odate breed, he established the “Akita-Inu Preservation Society” in 1927. At the same time, dog fighting gradually declined in popularity. There are only a few photographs of dogs of that era. One is of a brindle female named “Kuma Go” . 3 and another is of the sesame female “Babagoma” . 2 (, owned by Mr. Kunio Ichinoseki . 

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. The name was changed from the Odate dog to the Akita dog and nine superior examples of Akitas were designated. Efforts were made in the late 30’s, especially in Odate, to purify the Akita. Thus other Japanese dogs like the dogs from mountainous areas in Hokkaido (medium sized dogs; Matagi dogs from the Tohoku area, Southern Akita, that were larger than other medium sized Japanese dogs and often red in colour with Urajiro; and the Karafuto Dog (long- and shorthaired dog from southern Sakhalin.

The Akita dog gained sudden fame on October 4, 1932, when a news article on Hachiko entitled, “A Moving Story of an Old Dog” appeared in the Asahi Shinbun (Asahi Newspaper. In the Asahi newspaper the faithfulness of Hachiko was reported, and the reputation of Akitas became well known all over Japan. Hachiko was born in Odate in 1923 and moved to Tokyo two months later. Hachiko’s owner was Dr. Ueno, a professor at Tokyo University. Dr. Ueno passed away when Hachiko was only a year and a half old. For the next ten years, Hachiko continued to go to Shibuya station every evening to wait for his master even though his master had died. Hachiko himself died in 1935.

The famous American, Miss Helen Keller, famed for tutoring and lecturing about the language (written and spoken for the deaf and blind, visited Japan in July 1937. She had heard about Hachiko and when she came to Akita she requested an Akita dog. Therefore, in August of that year, Mr. Ichiro Ogasawara, of the “Juntaidoh” kennel, sent Miss Keller the young puppy Kamikaze-go. Unfortunately, Kamikaze-go died only a few months later of distemper. On July 1939, Mr. Ogasawara sent Miss Keller another dog, an older brother of Kamikaze-go, Kenzan-go. In 1947, while visiting Japan after the war, Miss Keller revisited Akita to express her deep appreciation for the Akita dog’s contribution toward peace.

During the Manchurian “episode” (1931, and World War II (1939-1945, 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” (Ichinoseki type, “Fighting Akitas” (Dewa type and “Shepherd Akitas”.

After the War, some officers of the American occupation forces wanted Akitas as pets. These were very difficult times and many Japanese were near starvation because food was so scarce. Nevertheless, Akita breeding was re-started. For the revival of the breed, “Tsubakigoma”, who had survived the War, was returned to Mr. Ichinoseki’s home. Both “Tsubakigoma” and “Kongo” of the Dewa line contributed greatly to the breed. 

From the reconstruction period after the War, two major breeding lines, the Ichinoseki and the Dewa became popular. The first is the “Ichinoseki-goma” lines of Mr. Kunio Ichinoseki, and the second is the “Dewa” lines. It was the Dewa lines that first became popular all over Japan and amongst the American occupation force. Unfortunately, the news of Miss Helen Keller’s and other American’s interests in Akita dog led to a great popularity of Akita dog, so that, according to rumours, even the mongrel types of Akita dogs were sold at high prices. Kongo-go . 4 won top honours at the JKC (Japanese Kennel Club at this time and his son, Kincho-go . 5, won the Meiyoshi Award at the Akiho show, resulting in the rapid increase of that type of Akita dog from the late 1940s to the mid 1950s. 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. At this time the Ichinoseki line was beginning to show qualitative improvement, while the Kongo line on the whole, showed a tendency toward the characteristics of impure breeding in past generations in the conformation, coat colour, head and expression. “Goromaru” and “Gyokuun” passed on the Ichinoseki lines. “Goromaru” .6-9  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. 

Immediately after the war,  many colours were seen in the Akita. Prior to the 40’s only a few red Akitas with Urajiro were photographed. It wasn’t until the mid 70’s that Akitas with this colour began to increase in number and the main reason being different opinions concerning the colour between dog fanciers in Japan. Some meant that the red/white colour made the Akita look too much “Spitz like” and others meant that it was natural for the Akita to share the same colour as the rest of the native dogs of Japan.

Many American soldiers brought their Akitas with them when they returned to the U.S. The Americans continued to breed and develop the Akita, out of these imports (the East-Coast, Pic. 10-11, type with mainly Dewa bloodlines and the West-Coast type, Pic. 12-13, with mainly Ichinoseki lines, and the Japanese worked with purifying their Akitas. This has led to the differences between the Akita in Japan and the US despite them sharing the same origin. The FCI has recently named the “American type Akita” the American Akita with it’s own breed standard, closely resembling the American standard, and placed it in Group 5.

East and West Coast type Akitas. 

(An Akiho Branch was established on the West Coast in the United States in 1969, and annual dog show has been held there since. As a result of guidance, many of the Akita dogs of today on the West Coast are similar to those in Japan. However, the Akita dog on the East Coast is very similar to the Akita dogs of 30 to 40 years ago.

Japanese type Akita 

Only one Japanese Akita is selected annually at a Grand National Akiho show for the Meiyoshi title in Japan. Japanese Akitas are red, brindle or white in colour and have no black mask. Quality Akitas are mostly registered with Akiho in Japan. Similar to the Shiba Inu problem, most reputable breeders do not register their Akitas in Japan with the Japan Kennel Club (JKC, the “reciprocal” club with the FCI, because the breeding standard and show criteria are not the same.

There is much to be said about the Akitas colours. In the Japanese Akita and the Great Japanese Dog, e.g., many look at a white Akita as “white” but in fact it is a “bleached” red colour (genetically speaking the dog is red but due to the “chinchilla-gene”, which influences the red colour-gene, it looks white. This can be seen by looking at the ears that normally have red/brown ticks. Nevertheless a white should be a solid white, and not “off-white”. Reds come in many shades, from creamy-yellow to brick red. Sesame colour is a red colour with black hair-tips. Brindles can be red, black or silver. The Japanese Akita has to have Urajiro, a whitish/lightning of the cheeks, muzzle, throat, chest, stomach, legs and back of tail, which shouldn’t be sharp in contrast but more like a gradual whitening as if the dog has put it’s white parts in a sack of flour. The American Akitas colours should be brilliant and clear, with defined and well-balanced markings. It may be pinto with a white ground colour and markings on the head and evenly placed at least on 1/3 of the body, brindle, sesame, white, red, black, etc., with or without mask or blaze.

What is important for the Japanese Akitas' and the American Akita’s future, is not it’s colour or if it wins a lot at dog-shows, but that the inner qualities, it’s calm, dignified and noble nature are preserved. The inner qualities of the Akita include soboku-kan (an expression of elegant simplicity or shibumi, kan-i (spirit, vim and vigour and ryousei (excellent temperament and character and it’s characteristics are goki (strong and heroic, chinkaku (composure, calmness, soboku-sa (simplicity, unsophisticated, igen (dignity, majesty and hinkaku (grace, dignity. “The eyes have power”, “The eyes are worth a thousand pieces of gold”, “The eyes reveal the wisdom of the heart” are phrases said about the Akita in Japan and that is so true.

Ref:JAPAN, By Richard Storry, 1965. THE COMPLETE AKITA, By Joan M. Linderman and Virginia Funk, 1983 THE AKITA DOG AND ITS ORIGIN, The Akita University Research Bulletin: 101-116, By Keiichi Ogasawara, D.V.M 1987. THE AKITA DOGS ROOT’S IN SOUTHERN JAPAN, Published in Akita Journal 1980 - 1981 and Akita World 1994 - 1995 and translated by Tatsuo Kimura    LOOKING AT THE AKITA DOG, By Mr. Mutsuo Okada and translated by Tasuo Kimura, Published in Akita World 1996 AKITA, By Japan Kennel Club, Inc., 1998

The legend of Hachiko

For the Japanese, the most famous Akita is the Chuken Hachiko, which means “loyal Hachiko”, but he is usually referred to as Hachiko.

Hachiko, a white male Akita, was born in Odate, Akita Prefecture in November 1923. Two months old, he was sent to the home of Professor Eizaburo Ueno in Tokyo. The Professor named the puppy Hachi and called him Hachiko. At that time, Professor Ueno’s residence was in a suburb of Tokyo in the vicinity of Shibuya Station, and he used the train from that station to the agricultural experimental station in Nishihara where he worked.

May 21, 1925, Hachiko was at Shibuya Station as usual, waiting for his master’s arrival on the four o’clock train. However, Dr. Ueno would not return this time since he tragedly had suffered a stroke and had died at the university. Hachiko was by then eighteen months old. The next day and for the next nine years, Hachiko returned to the station and waited for his beloved master before walking home, alone. Hachiko was sent to homes of relatives or friends, but he always continued to await his master, who was never to return, at the train station.

Nothing and no one could discourage Hachiko from maintaining his nightly vigil. It was not until he followed his master in death, in March l934, at the age of 11 years and 4 months, that Hachiko failed to appear in his place at the railroad station.

The fidelity of Hachiko was known throughout Japan, owing to an article, “Faithful Old Dog Awaits Return of Master Dead for Seven Years” in the October 4, 1933 issue of Asahi Shinbun (Asahi News. Upon his death, newspaper stories led to the suggestion that a statue be erected at the station. Contributions from the United States and other countries were received. Today, the statue of Hachiko, pays a silent tribute to the breed’s faithfulness and loyalty. A bronze statue of Hachiko was erected in 1934 at his waiting spot outside the Shibuya railroad station, which is now probably the most popular rendezvous point in Tokyo. Hachiko was mounted and stuffed and is on now on display at the Tokyo Museum of Art.

During the World War II, the statue was melted down to help the Japanese military. A new statue was returned to the Shibuya station in 1947. Another statue of Hachiko, although not equally well known, is erected in front of the Odate station. This statue was erected in 1935. It too, was melted down during World War II and was re-erected in 1987.

The Rouken Shrine Legend

Another legend is about the Odate-Inu “Shiro” who tried to save his master from the death penalty in the 18th-century. His master, Satoroku, was out hunting with Shiro but had forgotten his hunting permit at home. He was captured and was thrown into prison. Shiro sneaked up whimpering to him every time the guard walked away. Finally Shiro understood that his master was in trouble and rushed home, through the woods and over the mountains. Sarotuko’s wife found the hunting permit at home and sent it with Shiro as soon as he was properly fed. Despite the effort, Shiro wasn’t able to save his master who had been executed just before his arrival. The Rouken Shrine, sacred to Shiro’s spirit, was erected in remote Odate after his death.

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