Meet the Akita

We come from Northern Japan from the province of Akita. In the early 17th century, a Japanese emperor banished a nobleman to the most northern part of Japan – the island of Honshu. The man loved dogs and he convinced the barons under him to participate in the breeding of a large hunting dog. That’s where our story begins, but it’s nowhere near where it ends! Years of selective breeding have made us who we are today – strong, willful, and courageous. Our earliest ancestors were used to hunt wild boar, deer, and even bears!

At one point in our history, only the imperial class could own us as guard dogs, but now we’re loved by all sorts of humans – and we love them all the same! We’re a huge part of Japanese culture and are seen in many households. It’s tradition in Japan to give an Akita figurine to parents when a baby is born to symbolize a long, happy life. The Japanese also often honor our famous brother, Hachiko, who waited in a train station for his owner for nine years.

We thank Helen Keller for bringing us to America for the first time in 1937. The Japanese loved Keller and took her to Shibuya, Tokyo to see the famous Hachiko statue. She wanted an Akita of her own, so they gave her one! Keller loved her pup, Kamikaze-go, but he died at an early age from distemper. She called him “an angel with fur.” The Japanese government then gave her Kamikaze-go’s brother, Kenzan-go.

After World War II, American servicemen brought us back home with them from Japan! A man named Thomas Boyd bred the first stud to sire Akita pups and the American Akita evolved into a stronger, healthier, more powerful dog. Many remained loyal to the original Japanese Akita (Akita Inu), which caused a long battle that delayed our acceptance to the American Kennel Club. We were finally accepted by the AKC in 1972 as part of their Stud Book.