The Yomiuri ShimbunAKITA — Akita dogs are like a mirror that reflects the times.
Once called “Odate dogs,” Akitas were fighting dogs in the Meiji era (1868-1912). But following crossbreeding with Sakhalin huskies and Tosa fighting dogs, the Akita breed lost features such as its erect ears and curled tail and became known as the “Shin Akita” (New Akita) in the Taisho era (1912-1926).
Hachiko, a famous Akita dog born in Odate, Akita Prefecture, has become a symbol of loyalty as he kept waiting for his owner at Shibuya Station in Tokyo even many years after the owner’s death. Hachiko’s statue was erected in his lifetime, and the dog was mentioned in the prewar textbook for moral education.
Since the end of World War II, the role of Akitas has changed from one of watchdogs to pets. The breed’s popularity has now grown overseas.
Recently, long-haired Akitas, once viewed as taboo, have gained the spotlight among Akita dog enthusiasts. Fluffy long hair is considered to be the result of crossbreeding with Sakhalin huskies in the Meiji era and thereafter. Long coat Akitas had been excluded, considered an impediment to efforts to protect the Akita breed that has been designated a national natural treasure.
“We humiliated them, but now we’re introducing long-haired Akita dogs for the first time,” said Kazuhito Takadama, head of the Akitainu Introduction Foundation’s Hokkaido central branch, during an Akita dog exhibition held by the branch in Sapporo on Oct. 11.
Launched in 2011, the branch has 42 members and is new to the Odate-based foundation, which has 59 branches.
To keep the ideal figure and nature of Akita dogs, the foundation set specific standards in 1938, such as the shape of the ears, eyes and mouth, the curl of the tail and hair color. Long-haired Akitas did not qualify for exhibitions.
Abandoned as ‘impure’
Given the situation, long-haired Akita dogs had been considered “impure” and culled or abandoned when they were puppies to maintain the breed’s standards. Due to reversion, 10 percent to 20 percent of Akitas are said to be born with long hair.
The long hair came about due to the history of Akita dogs. After the Meiji Restoration, dog fighting (see below) became popular, and Odate became its home.
Out of concern over changes to the breed, local dignitaries and others took action to restore the original Akita features, with measures such as using Matagi hunting dogs, a pure breed that lived in the mountains. Thanks to such efforts, the Akita breed became the first Japanese dog to receive the status of national natural treasure in 1931.
However, as Japan faced deteriorating circumstances during the Pacific War, Akita dogs were captured and the skin processed to make cold weather gear for military personnel. If they were used as military dogs, they avoided captivity but were crossbred with shepherds. Progress in restoring the pure breed was back at square one.
Four years after World War II, then Chairman Eikichi Hiraizumi wrote in the foundation’s first newsletter that the foundation’s activity “has been suspended due to the war and dogs have been [killed] for leather and meat. Despite such challenges, we have striven to conserve the original breed.”
With about 10 dogs having survived the war, the foundation made a fresh start. Through trial and error, the foundation became mostly successful in maintaining the original breed in the 1960s and 1970s.
Entered for shows
Toshiko Sawaya, secretary general of the Hokkaido branch, said: “I want the handling of long-haired dogs, which are born inevitably in breeding, to be changed. Time is ripe for long-haired dogs to be recognized as Akitas.”
Seven long-haired Akita dogs took part in the Sapporo exhibition. When the dogs were introduced along with their owners, cheers arose from the audience with one person remarking that, “They’re like stuffed animals,” and another saying, “I want to hold them.”
In May, a member of the foundation who took a long-haired Akita to a major dog exhibition held in Odate was asked by a person who appeared to be a foundation member: “A long-haired dog isn’t an Akita dog. Why did you bring the dog here?”
Having received a complaint about the discriminatory remarks, the foundation’s headquarters published an apology in their newsletter. But the newsletter also stated, “We are hoping that further efforts will be made to breed Akita dogs as a natural treasure, and not to breed long-haired dogs.”
Dog fighting
Dog fighting was popular in Akita and Kochi prefectures from the Meiji era onward. In Akita, wealthy farmers crossbred strong Akita dogs to create relatively large dogs. In Kochi, Tosa fighting dogs were established through crossbreeding between local midsize dogs and foreign breeds such as bulldogs and huge mastiffs. As Akitas were not competitive in the Taisho era, a growing number of Akita dog enthusiasts crossbred the breed with Tosa fighting dogs. This crossbreeding turned Akita dogs into “Shin Akita,” also known as “Gamata.” A blood ratio of 70 percent Odate and 30 percent Tosa was considered the best. Born in the Oshinai area of Odate, Oshinaiyama Go — the father of Hachiko — was considered an unbeatable fighting dog until it lost to a Shin Akita. The victor was then subsequently defeated by a Tosa dog. In Akita Prefecture, the enthusiasm for dog fighting died down as people came to believe that Tosa dogs had no rival.
source : http://www.the-japan-news.com
