Nihon Ken 

• Essence And Its Expression
  The dog has a spirited boldness with a good nature and a feeling of artlessness. It is alert and able to move quickly with nimble, elastic steps.
• General Physical Characteristics
  Males and females are obviously distinct with proportioned bodies. The frame is compact with well-developed muscles. Males have a height to length ratio of 10 to 11, females slightly longer. The height for males is 52 cm, for females 49 cm. A range of 3 cm taller or shorter is allowed.
• Ears
  Ears are the shape of a small triangle, leaning forward slightly and standing up firmly.
• Eyes
  Eyes are somewhat triangular and slant upward toward the outside corner of the eye. The color of the iris is very dark brown.
• Muzzle
  The bridge of the nose is straight, the sides of the mouth firm, the nose hard, and the lips do not have any slackness. Teeth are strong and occlude correctly.
• Head
  The forehead is wide, the cheeks well-developed, the neck sturdy.
• Forelegs
  The shoulder blade has moderate angulation and is well-developed. Forearms are straight with paws well-knuckled up.
• Hind legs
  Hind legs are strong with a wide natural stance. The hock joint is strong and the paws well-knuckled up.
• Chest
  The chest is deep, with ribs moderately sprung. The forechest is well-developed.
• Back and loin
  The topline is straight, the loin strong. [Trans note: well-tucked up]
• Tail
  The tail is thick and powerful. It can be either sickle or curled. In length (when straightened out) it reaches almost to the hock joint.
• Coat
  Outer coat is stiff and straight, undercoat is soft and thick. Tail hair is slightly longer and stands open. Coat color is sesame, red, black, brindle, or white. The quality and color of the hair should express the characteristics typical of the Japanese dogs.

Demerit Marks

1. Developmental defects and nutritional deficiency.
2. Disharmony between the color of the body and the nose.
3. Spots in the coat color.

Disqualifications

1. Lacking the quality of a Japanese dog.
2. Overshot or undershot.
3. Short tail caused by genetic defect.

Notice: Any deviations should be expunged as much as possible.

Large Size Dog (The following items differ from the standard of the medium size dog.)

1. Essence And Its Expression
   The dog has a spirited boldness with a good nature and a feeling of artlessness, and conducts itself in a dignified way as well.
2. General Physical Characteristics
   Males and females are obviously distinct with proportioned bodies. The frame is compact with well-developed muscles. Males have a height to length ration of 10 to 11, females slightly longer. The height for males is 67 cm, for females 61 cm. A range of 3 cm taller or shorter is allowed.
11. Tail
    The tail must be curled, thick and strong. In length (when straightened out) it reaches almost to the hock joint.

Disqualification

4. Uncurled tail [Trans note: sickle tail is not allowed in the Akita]

Small Size Dog (The following items differ from the standard of the medium size dog.)