Author: Yuri Funakoshi
★The definitive research book that uses historical materials to explain the little-known stories of the Akita dog, which is now popular all over the world. You cannot talk about Akita dogs without knowing their roots, characteristics, and transformations leading up to the present day!
★Here, knowledge and information about Akita dogs, scattered throughout history, are compiled and included with abundant photographic materials.
The Akita dog is Japan's only large dog and a national natural monument.
Its majestic appearance and deep affection for humans are the reasons it is loved by people all over the world.
In ancient times, Akita dogs were used as Matagi (hunter) dogs in the snowy mountains of Akita, and during the Edo period, they were used by samurai as fighting dogs. After the Meiji Restoration, they became mixed breeds, and in the Taisho era, they became the Shin-Akita. In the Showa era, just as they regained their Japanese dog appearance, they were bludgeoned to death during the war and faced extinction. Only a few Akita dogs survived.
Akita dogs have served and been loved by people, living in perfect harmony as "one with humans." This book chronicles the 400-year journey of Akita dogs, from the time they were Matagi dogs who could not survive without walking and running, to the present day. Akita dog connoisseurs, breeders, and famous Akita dogs from the Meiji era are brought vividly back to life, speaking to something we are losing, and revealing the true essence of Akita dogs and their owners.
・Articles and photographic materials from elders of the Japan Kennel Club and Akita Dog Preservation Society.
・Materials held by libraries and ancient document archives in Akita Prefecture, microfilms from Akita Sakigake Shinpo.
・Valuable old books and oral traditions from Matagi villages.
・Major lineage charts from past to present, Showa Akita Dog exhibitions, and albums of famous dogs. These materials are carefully woven together to explain the history and episodes of Akita dogs.
・Covers the modern Akita dog landscape, including interviews with the oldest active Akita dog breeders and owners whose lives were saved by Akita dogs, as well as a reportage on this year's Akita Dog Preservation Society Spring Headquarters Exhibition.
・In particular, it features many untold stories and treasured photos of Goromaru-go, an Ichinoseki-line Akita dog whose blood runs through almost all Akita dogs today. Goromaru, embodying the essence of the Akita dog and producing many famous dogs, leveraged his strong genetic influence to have the spotted coat, which was a fault in the Akita dog standard at the time, officially recognized as a valid coat color. Without Goromaru, the majestic appearance of the Akita dog would likely not have been established. This book features Goromaru's fur, displayed for the first time in half a century. The day we can understand the DNA of Akita dogs is drawing near.
・The appendix includes the picture book essay "Days Living with Akita Dogs" and the "Akita Dog 400-Year History Timeline."
Released on 2007/09/26
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Akita Dog Reference Collection | Seibundo Shinkosha Publishing Co., Ltd. (seibundo-shinkosha.net)