about akitas

Akitas are said to have accompanied samurai on Japanese islands as early as 5,000 years ago. However, the first drawings depicting these animals date back to the 12th century. Since 1603 in Odate there were organized fights of medium size dogs used for hunting bears. Since the mid 1860s, in order to gain a stronger body and larger size, they were mated with tos and mastiffs, which made them lose the characteristics of spitzes. In the early 20th century, fighting was banned. In 1931, nine Akitas from the Matagi area, representing the most desirable type, were declared natural monuments and issued pedigrees. Seven years later the first Akita breed standard was created.

The most famous story associated with the breed is that of Hachiko, a dog that belonged to Eisabuiro Ueno, a professor at Tokyo University. Every morning he would walk his owner to the Shibuya train station and pick him up from there in the evening. One day the professor died suddenly at work. For the next 10 years – until his death in 1935 – Hachiko came every day to the square in front of the station and waited for his return. A statue of the faithful dog – funded by the citizens of Tokyo – stood opposite Shibuya Station.

This breed proved its endurance during the Japanese expedition to the South Pole in 1957. The polar explorers took 20 akitas to pull their sledges. Due to bad weather, the expedition was aborted. People returned home and the dogs stayed in Antarctica, which outraged animal rights organizations. When the expedition resumed three years later, researchers found 12 dogs in surprisingly good condition at the former camp. To commemorate the event, Emperor Hirohito ordered the building of a monument to them cast in bronze.