mythology, n. The body of a primitive people's beliefs
concerning its origin, early history, heroes, deities,
and so forth, as distinguished from the "true" accounts
which it invents later.
-Ambrose Bierce
Startling news: Forget everything you have
likely heard and read on the history of the Akita breed. Most published and commonly
held beliefs by fanciers about the origin and "purpose" of Akitas are not
factual. These myths are composed of fabrications, arise from confused timelines, and are
often the result of pure old-fashioned romanticism and stories passed along by servicemen returnng from WW II. Many breed books and internet
resources about Akitas are completely incorrect concerning the breed's history. I realize this
seems radical, but I refer you to the Japanese sources I reference below to form your own
conclusions.
Even the AKC's Complete Dog Book
innocently misleads readers of the Akita section. This is not the fault of the
AKC. Their synopsis of the breed's development was written by a fervent, well-meaning if
not fully-informed, early Akita fancier who had limited information available to him at
the time. Little was known or understood about Akitas, then.
Contemporary scholars and translators are
now revealing more about our breed's true history than was known or understood in the 1950's,
when many of the current mythical histories were written. The conventional
"history" of the Akita breed is an indicator of how deeply myths can replace
realities in official histories of purebred dogs.
Having said that, here are the facts:
The "Akita" is a modern breed with its
origins entirely within
the 20th century.
Most writers and fanciers in this breed claim the
Akita's "ancient" background. One hears and reads that, as a breed, the
Akita dates back four or five hundred years. Some sources even date the breed
to the Bronze Age! There is tendency by fanciers in many pure breeds to fictionalize
their breeds' histories so that they are more exciting, more ancient and, well, just
"more." More often than not, hyperbole supercedes facts.
Factually, this is a breed developed entirely
within the 20th century. The term "breed" is an important
distinction.
Many in our breed hold the misconception that
Akitas are (were) hunting dogs ("used to track and hold large game")
and that the breed's physical features, somehow, reflect that "original
purpose." These two assertions are not factual. The real history of the
modern Akita breed is much more fascinating than these simple myths. It is also more
complex.
Part of the myth (and much of the commonly
told "history") of the "ancient Akita" arises from the confusion of
Akitas (by even the most tenured fanciers) with a "type" of dog which existed
between the 17th & 19th centuries. This "type," loosely called the matagi
(hunting) inu (dog), wasn't a "breed" in any sense, but a
group of dogs bred not for a particular conformation or "look" but to perform a
competitive task--hunting. While the demands of "tracking and holding large
game" required dogs that looked and acted certain ways (large, fast, courageous,
strong, etc.), each feudal breeder selected dogs that suited his eye
rather than those fitting any formal standard--written or oral. Such standards
simply did not exist. Matagi dogs were a "type" not a "breed."
Some historians believe that "matagi
dogs" persisted into the 20th century, but it is now consistently agreed to by
Japanese breed scholars that such dogs were not purebred. Therefore, they were
not Akitas. They were only one group of many hybridized dogs and other pure
breeds that, together, make up the Akita breed's family tree.
A popular "sport" in Japan during the
early 1900's was competitive dog fighting. During this period, various mixtures of
Mastiffs, Tibetan Mastiffs, Oriental Pariah Dogs and numerous other breeds and hybrid dogs
(including a long-coated type of dog called Karafuto dogs)
were bred and selected for one function over any standardized type: to be ferocious,
strong, and, thereby, victorious in fighting pits.
A small population of regional, naturally-selected
dogs also figure prominently in the general "look" of modern Akitas. These were
an early 20th century group of isolated dogs referred to as "Odate dogs" (named for the community in the
Akita prefecture of theNorthern island, Honshu, where they were
found). Each represented variations on a general theme of "large Japanese
dogs." Some had the erect, pitched ears and curled tails that are still part of
all worldwide Akita standards today. They were not hunting dogs
but village dogs. It is known that these dogs were not uniform in conformation and that they were not
subjected to any standardization, written or otherwise, until 1934. Prior to 1934 Odate dogs were were not
"purebred." No records of Odate dogs exist prior to 1870. Interestingly,
Odate was known as "dog town" in the late 1880's and was the epicenter for
competitive dog fighting in Japan.
A Japanese publication, Akita, by the
Japan Kennel Club, relates a "round table discussion" of Odate elders, reported
in an article "Talking About the Dog Scene of the Dog Town Odate."
It is this single "round-table" recount that is responsible for another
frequently-repeated myth about Akitas: that they were "temple dogs."
The elders discussed a specific Odate dog, Moku-Go, which was a long-coated
pinto-marked dog of unknown lineage, which happened to have been raised in the Jououji
Temple at Odate. Moku-Go was a fierce fighting dog of fabled strength and
exaggerated size (35"+). Akita ancestors, except for Moku-Go, were never
"temple dogs." Their ownership was never restricted to Japanese
royalty.
While
Odate dogs are probably the most direct contributors to the modern Akita (likely far more
closely related genetically than the "matagi dogs"), they were not
Akitas. As natural Japanese dogs, they became rough blueprints for what would
eventually come to be purebred Akitas. However, none of these early Japanese dogs,
alone, evolved into the pure Akita breed.
The Akita as a standardized
"breed" dates only to 1938
A "restoration" of the Japanese breeds
was formalized in 1919, when the Japanese government passed legislation that would lead to
several "reconstruction" breeds being declared "natural monuments"
(this would not actually eventuate until 1931). A key phrase is "natural
monument," not the common misnomer "national monument."
This is an important distinction if one is to understand the goals of the
restoration and the true "purpose" of the Akita breed.
One year after the passage of the
"restoration" legislation, Dr. Watuse, who had drafted the legislation, traveled
to Odate to search for dogs that could be used in the creation of the Akita breed.
He found no dogs of sufficient excellence to be named "natural monuments."
No dogs would be so designated for another decade.
Based upon a desire to preserve the physical
characteristics of the Odate dog "type," Mr. Shigeie Izumi, Mayor of Odate,
established the Akitainu Hozonkai or AKIHO
(the Akita-Inu Preservation Society) in 1927. Included in this restoration
plan were dogs of unknown but varied lineage from the dying and out-of-favor pit fighting
activities; they were chosen for certain physical traits desired by restoration breeders.
Again, these dogs were not "Akitas."
The name "Akita" was not officially given
until 1931 (and then, to several variations of size). The first Japanese
dog standard was not written until 1934. This was not an exclusively-Akita
standard,though, and did not cover all sizes of Akitas.
The first Japanese Akita standard
was not adopted until 1938. Prior to these dates, Akitas represented a concept and goal
rather than an existent "breed."
One must understand (and this can be a bit
confusing) that the goals of the "restoration" of the Akita were never to recreate
a dog that had ever previously existed. Restoration goals were much more creative.
The original (and continuing) goals of the
restoration were to create (not recreate) a large breed of dog,
standardized in type, that reflected the general traits of other primitive
"native" Japanese dogs, and to reflect also the general "look" of
other natural Japanese fauna and of Japanese cultural, artistic ideals. These are
the cultural ideals that have led to the contemporary Japanese preference for the white or
"open face" markings ("purity") and rich, brilliant
"natural" coat colors. (Have you ever seen Japanese snow monkeys or
weasels that are indigenous to Japan?) In fact, the urajiro marking
patterns (white mask, silhouette outlined in white...see "Willie," and
his mother Ch. Japan, on the "Photo" page) popular in Japanese
dogs mimic the makeup of apprentice Geisha!
Modern Akitas have no natural function or
purpose.
They are expressions of art in Japanese animal breeding.
To summarize: the Akita was not "originally"
bred to hunt bears, deer or anything else (except other dogs, perhaps). That
history, again, belongs to the impure, feudal "matagi dogs." Akitas
were not "temple" dogs. The modern Akita, again, descends exclusively from large
crossbreeds that existed in Japan at the turn of the century. In 1931, a few
of these (only 9 or so original dogs) were selected not for pedigree (genotype)
but only for physical characteristics (phenotype) and were designated
"Akitas." These were the world's first Akitas, if not the first purebred
Akitas.
Since the early Japanese breeders were working
with an enormously varied gene pool, several trends arose in Japan during which certain
colors or marking patterns went in and out of fashion. During this developmental
period, variations in body type and general body shape also occurred--each having
dedicated followers. Two general pre-World War II types became somewhat fixed,
although other "lines" also existed. These two predominant lines are
generally referenced as the Dewa line and the Ichinoseki line.
These were the lines that were popular in Japan during post-war occupation.
Akitas predominantly of these lines that were brought home by U.S. servicemen. The Dewa
Akitas were heavy-bodied dogs, often with loose skin (particularly under the neck).
The Ichinoseki type had a more refined look, tighter skin, and, proportionately,
more length of leg. Both lines contributed significantly to the American foundation gene
pool.
Upon acceptance by the AKC as a recognized breed,
further importation of Japanese-born Akitas for registration in the United States was
disallowed. For several decades, the Akita developed here from a small gene pool of
around 300 individual "American foundation" Akitas--isolated from their Japanese
relatives. During these decades, the "American" Akitas' appearance deviated
from the Japanese restoration goals, and, in this writer's opinion, from their own
written standard. Instead, the breed was bent to the much different American
cultural ideals. Bigger and "tougher" dogs became desirable. Type slowly
eroded.
Many type deviations also occurred and were
"set" into the gene pool because of "fads" in the show ring and due to
the influence of a single dominant stud dog during the "popularization" and
heavy marketing of Akitas that occurred during the 1970's & 1980's.
Many breeders of Akitas in the US and abroad have
failed to ever understand the original goals of Japanese breed restoration or, they have
chosen to ignore them. They have therefore ended up with Akitas that often do not fit
closely any Akita standard.
Are there two breeds of Akita in the US? No, only one. A poll of the membership of the Akita Club of America, the Parent Breed Club, in July 1999 resulted in a significant majority vote to maintain one Akita breed in the US.
In January, 2008, the Board of Directors of the American Kennel Club made the following decision:
Japanese Akitas
Based on a Board request, Staff presented a report on
the division of the Akita breed into two breeds based
on type; the American type and the Japanese type. The
Akita is registered as two different breeds (American
type and Japanese type) in all major countries except
the United States and Canada. Based upon input from
the Akita Club of America, no action is to be taken at
this time concerning the status of the breed in the
United States. (Minutes January 12-13, 2006)
In the meantime, Japanese breeders have been
patiently and progressively achieving the goals of restoration while holding a tight lead
on "breed type characteristics" so important to achieving a beautiful, artistic Akita.
Art! If the Akita breed serves any
true "purpose," it is as a mode of artistic expression. This
"purpose" derives from and is in harmony with long-established Japanese cultural
perspectives. Akitas, to the Japanese, are the canine equivalents to Koi
carp, and their breeding is analogous to the art of horticultural bonsai.
They exist to be artistic, yet to conform, again, to consistent historical and
cultural ideals. That is how it is in the breed's native country, where consistent
progress has been made toward the original goal of restoration -- the Akita as
"natural art."
For additional Akita historical information from a
Japanese perspective, go here
Michael Sanders
