Japanese Akita Inu dog breed history, part 3
Akita dogs during the 1800’s, and the beginning of the 20th century
Welcome back to another “episode” of the Akita dog breed history. If you missed any other parts, you can find them here (Akita Dog breed General Information)
Dog fights were a very popular sport in Japan for centuries. With the arrival of Western breeds, some dogs were created for the specific purpose of fighting, especially during the period of mid 1800’s to early 1900’s. Two types of dogs in particular became prized for their fighting abilities. One was the Tosa Fighting Dog, created by mixing the native Tosa (Shikoku) Dog with different imported mastiff dogs. The second one was developed in the Dewa/Akita region probably by crossing the native dog of Dewa with Great Danes and Tibetan Mastiffs.
Towards the beginning of the 20th century, there was a growing sense of Japanese nationalism. Suddenly, people started to show concern for Japan’s native dogs. Although by this time their dogs were very mixed with foreign genes, rural isolated areas provided enough founding stock to restore native breeds.
In July 1931, the large dog of Japan was declared National Monument by the Japanese government. The dog was named Akita, after the area in which it had been developed. In 1934, the first Akita Dog standard was created. The breed became even more popular in 1932 after the media published Hachi-Ko’s story. Hellen Keller admired Hacki-Ko’s loyalty and during her visit to Japan, she was offered an Akita puppy. She was the first person to bring an Akita to the US.
