Japanese Akita Inu dog breed history, part 2
Akita ancestors make their way to Japan
I hope part 1 of the Akita Inu dog breed history got you intrigued enough to come back and check what happened next. In case you missed it, you can go to Japanese Akita Inu dog breed history, part 1 to read it now)
As the ice sheets of North America began melting, important changes occurred throughout the world. Increases in sea levels gave birth to the chain of islands known as the Sea of Japan. Communication and exchanges were scarce, as boats were needed to go from one island to another. This event caused the Japanese descendants of Spitz dogs to evolve in isolation. The dogs’ appearance became less generic as each area developed its own dog, based on its needs, all this with a limited stock. Japanese Akita dogs were primarily used for guarding and hunting.
Throughout Japan’s isolation from the outside world, the country experienced two periods of intense mingling with foreigners. The first one was with its close trade partner, China, and the second one was with European traders, at the turn of the 16th century.
During these intervals, many dogs were first exchanged between Chinese and Japanese aristocrats and later on between Japanese and Europeans. The increase of interest in foreign dogs caused the Japanese stock to become very mixed. These breeds might have disappeared had Japanese rulers not cared for their native dogs.
