Japanese history became legendary after waiting every day for his master to return at Shibuya Station in central Tokyo. The direct ancestor of the Akita Inu was a dog kept as a guard dog and
fighting dog by samurai and wealthy farmers in the
Ōdate area, and was known as the until 1931 when it was renamed the Akita Inu. Since ancient times, hunting dogs called were kept in the
Tōhoku region of northern Japan. The word
matagi means hunter. The main targets of hunting were
Asian black bears,
Japanese serows,
Japanese macaques, and rabbits. In
Akita Prefecture, there was also a matagi dog called the , which is a medium-sized dog and is distinguished from the Akita Inu. During the
Edo period (1603–1867), the Akita region was ruled by the
Satake clan of the
Kubota Domain. The , the castle keeper of Ōdate Castle, is said to have nurtured the fighting spirit of its vassals through
dogfighting. It is not known exactly how Akita Inu became larger, but according to a "discussion on dogs by old people" held in 1931 in the then Ōdate Town, a famous dog named "Moku" was kept at the in Ōdate, commonly known as , in the late Edo period (1603–1867). Moku was a dog born at the end of the
Ansei era (1854–1860), lived through the fires of the
Boshin War (1868–1869), and lived until 1871 or 1872. Moku was about 85 cm tall at the shoulder and was large enough to carry an adult on its back. Moku was a purely Japanese dog with erect ears and a curly tail, sesame (
goma) in color, and long hair. The Akita breed was used during the
Russo-Japanese War to track prisoners of war and lost sailors. During
World War II, the Akita was considered a non-military breed and was crossed with
German Shepherds in an attempt to save them from the wartime government order for all non-military dogs to be culled. Some were used as scouts and guards during the war. Both lines contributed to the foundation stock for both Akita types, and many exported dogs were a combination of these lines. According to one Japanese judge, the greatest difference between Japanese- and American-bred Akitas is that the latter still show much evidence of the Dewa strain. In the early 1900s, Dewa-line Akitas were heavily favoured and did well in show. Kongo-go (from the Heirakudo Kennel of Eikichi Hiraizumi) is considered to be the most influential dog of that line. However, the Dewa-line later went into a decline because Japanese breeders felt that the Akita did not give the impression of a Japanese dog, so began to breed towards an ideal type reminiscent of other
Nihon-ken. The Dewa line was stereotyped as the “German Shepherd” type, while the Ichinoseki line was referred to as the “Mastiff” type. For the first time, Akitas were bred for a standardized appearance. Akita fanciers in Japan began gathering and exhibiting the remaining Akitas and producing litters to restore the breed to sustainable numbers and to accentuate the ideal characteristics of the breed muddied by crosses to other breeds. It was not until the 1960–1970s where the foxier Japanese type started to diverge from the typical American type. The story of
Hachikō helped push the Akita into the international dog world. Hachikō was born in 1923 and owned by Professor
Hidesaburō Ueno of Tokyo. Professor Ueno lived near the
Shibuya Train Station in a suburb of the city, and commuted to work every day on the train. On May 25, 1925, when the dog was 18 months old, he waited for his master's arrival on the four o'clock train, but Professor Ueno had suffered a fatal brain haemorrhage at work. shortly before his death, a
bronze statue was erected at the Shibuya train station in his honor. Eventually, Hachikō's legendary faithfulness became a national symbol of loyalty, particularly to the person and institution of the Emperor. In 1967, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of Akita Inu Hozonkai (AKIHO, Akita Dog Preservation Society), the Akita Dog Museum was built to house information, documents and photos. Keller nicknamed the dog Go-Go and they were great companions from day one. Go-Go even spent his first night at Keller's home sleeping at the foot of her bed. Kenzan-go died in the mid-1940s. By 1939, a
breed standard had been established and
dog shows had been held, but such activities stopped after
World War II began. Keller wrote in the
Akita Journal:
American history The Japanese Akita and American Akita began to diverge in type post-World War II due to America and Europe preserving the Akitas that fell out of favour in Japan, particularly the Dewa-types and dogs with the signature black mask or pinto marking. American Akitas are typically considered mixed by Japanese breeders (and not true Akitas by the Japanese standard). However, their
phenotype predates the Japanese Akita by a few decades, and they are closer to pre-war Akitas like
Hachiko. During this time, US servicemen serving as part of the occupation force in Japan first came into contact with the Akita. The breed so impressed them that many service members chose to bring an Akita back home with them upon completion of their tour. Although both types derive from common ancestry, marked differences are seen between the two. American Akitas generally are heavier boned and larger, with a more bear-like head, whereas Japanese Akitas tend to be lighter and more finely featured with a fox-like head. Additionally, while American Akitas are acceptable in all colors, Japanese Akitas are only permitted to be red, white, or brindle. Additionally, American Akitas may be pinto and/or have
black masks, unlike Japanese Akitas, where these are considered disqualifications and are not permitted in the breed standards. Recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1955, the Akita was placed in the Miscellaneous class. The AKC did not approve the Akita standard until 1972, and it was moved to the Working Dog class. As such, the Akita is a rather new breed in the United States. Foundation stock in America continued to be imported from Japan until 1974, when the AKC cut off registration to any further Japanese imports until 1992, when it recognized the
Japan Kennel Club standards. This decision set the stage for the divergence in type between the American Akita and Japanese Akita Inu that is present today. Elsewhere in the world, one American Akita was first introduced to the UK in 1937. He was a Canadian import, owned by a Mrs. Jenson; the descendants of Mrs. Jenson live on today breeding American Akitas. The most widely known of these is Joseph Felton, an award-winning Akita breeder, but the breed was not itself widely known until the early 1980s. The breed was introduced in Australia in 1982 with an American import and to New Zealand in 1986 with an import from the UK. ==Gallery==