Nieuwe pagina 2

History of the Akita-Inu

It is said that there was movement of people between Japan and Europe when the two areas were not separated by the Sea of Japan. During that time, dogs were probably introduced to Japan. The bones of dogs have been found in graves from Japan's ancient Jomon era. These dogs were smaller than the Japanese dogs of today. During the latter part of the Jomon era and after, hunting became popular, and many dog bones were found with other remains, especially in the northeast part of the Pacific Ocean side of Japan. Later, in the Yayoi era, the number of bones found in graves decreased. However, the dogs depicted on earthenware and clay figures of this era had erect ears and curled tails, similar to the Japanese dogs of today. After the Yayoi era, old history books, such as Kojiki and Nihonshoki, contain references to dogs. In the Kamakura era, fighting dogs are written about. Dog fighting was considered to be quite popular in the Tokugawa era. During the Tokugawa ara, the importation of dogs from the European continent was a prosperous business, and a new word, "kara-inu," meaning "foreign dog," was coined. In the Tokugawa era, a very notorious law became effective. The law, "Shorui Awaremi-no-Rei," stated that people should pay more respect to animals, as represented by dogs, than to people. The result was that many stray dogs wandered from place to place in Edo (Tokyo). More than 100,000 stray dogs were kept in specially built dog houses. In Akita-Han, a kind of prefecture in the feudal age and a former governmental unit of Akita Prefecture, castle construction and weapons possession were strictly prohibited by the Tokugawa government. Dog fights were recommended as a way of preserving the fighting spirit of the sumurai warriors. In the Meiji era, dog fights continued to be popular. At that time, Akitas were called "Odate" dogs because of the name of their home town. Around 1897, Tosa fighting dogs were introduced into Akita Prefecture. At that time, Tosa, now known as Kochi Prefecture, was one of the two most popular dog fighting areas. At first, the Akita breed was stronger than the Tosa. Gradually, the situation reversed because of cross-breeding of the Tosa breed with European breeds. After the war between Japan and China, half of Karafuto was transferred to Japan. Many Japanese from the northeast part of Japan went there to work as herring fishermen and in similar occupations. Accordingly, big dogs were moved into the northeast part of Japan together with their owners. From the Meiji era to the Taisho era, dogs in Japan were classified into two categories. One was the Japanese type, which is rather big, with erect ears and a curled tail. The other type was the mixed European type used in dog fights.

Standard Akita Inu

Characteritics ****
Possesses composure, strong courageous character, loyalty, obedient, dignity, keen senses and agility.

Appearance****
The balanced body is solid. The muscles and tendons are well developed. The skin is tight. The male and female are clearly distinguishable. The height: body length ratio in the male is 100:110; in the female, the body length is slightly longer in proportion than the male. The height of the male is 66.7 cm (2 shaku 2 sun, 26.3"), the female, 60.6 cm (2 shaku, 23.9"), with a variation of 3.03 cm (1 sun, 1.2") either way as acceptable. The height: chest depth ratio is 2:1.

Head ***
The head is large and the top of the head is somewhat flat. The forehead is wide without wrinkles. The groove is distinct with the proper amount of stop. The cheeks are well developed.

Neck ***
The neck is thick and sturdy with tight skin and has the proper angle.

Ears ***
The erect ears are rather small, thick, triangular, and slants forward at a proper angle with adequate space between the ears.

Eyes***
The eyes are somewhat triangular, deeply set and properly spaced from each other. The outer corners of the eyes are somewhat raised, the iris are yellowish dark brown.

Muzzle and Nose ***
The bridge of the nose is straight, the muzzle is full. The base of the mouth is wide. The tip is not pointed sharply. The nose appears firm, and the lips are tightly drawn.

Teeth ***
The teeth are powerful and have the proper bite.

Chest ***
The chest is deep. The ribs are full. The forechest is well developed. The abdomen is drawn up properly (moderately).

Shoulder and Hip ***
The back is straight and the hips are powerful.

Forelegs ***
The shoulder have proper angulation in relation to the forelegs which are well developed.

Hindlegs ***
The hind legs are thick and well developed with a powerful grip, thrust and stance. The hocks have the proper angulation.

Tails ***
The tail is thick and well curled. The tip of the tail almost reaches the hock joint. The type of the tail curls are left, right, single and double curls.

Coat ***
The outercoat is coarse and straight. The undercoat is soft like cotton and thick. The coat at the withers and the hip are slightly longer. The tail has longest coat.

Coat Color ***
White, black, red, goma, brindle, and pinto.

Minor Faults *** 1* Acquired injuries and obvious effects of dietary deficiency.
2 * Coat color unbecoming of an Akita dog.
3 * Undesirable combinations of coat color and light iris of the eye.
4 * Missing tooth or teeth, irregular teeth and even bite.
5 * Spotted tongue.
6 * Timid or violent.
7 * Lack of other distinguishing features of an Akita dog.

Major Faults *** 1* Drop ears. 2 * Uncurled tail. 3 Excessive long or short coat. 4 * Undershot and overshot jaws. 5 * Nose color not matching coat color (red nose permitted in white dogs. 6* Cryptorchism (undescended testicles.
7* Other features lacking distinguishing features of an Akita dog.