This article is going to be a prequel to my upcoming article on Hachiko.
Hachiko is an amazing story about a dog whose loyalty to his master continued beyond the grave.
It’s a famous, heartwarming story from Japan, but also known throughout the world.
Hachiko was an Akita, a famous breed of dogs in Japan.
I would like to have a look at the Akita breed of dog or better known in Japan as Akita-Inu.
The Akita is a well-known and well thought of breed, due to the loyalty it shows to their family/owner.
Japanese people feel an infinity to the Akita because the Akita shows loyalty which is highly thought of and desired in Japanese society.
This is why the story of Hachiko continues to be popular and celebrated.
Let’s get to know the Akita (Akita-Inu)
Appearance
The Akita is a large powerful dog with a muscular, stocky appearance.
The male Akita stands between 26 and 28 inches (66cms-71cms) and weighs around 110 pounds (50kgs). The female Akita is between 24 and 26 inches (61cms-66cms) and weighs around 80 pounds (36kgs).
The Akita has a broad chest and a solid-looking neck, which is needed to support its large head. They have small eyes and upright triangular ears. The tail is large and full and carried high, usually curled over the body.
Overall the Akita cuts an impressive figure and looks a distinguished and noble appearance.
A Brief History of the Akita
The Akita originates from Japan, where the Akita is considered “tender in heart and strong in strength”. It gets its name from the prefecture (Japan is divided into 47 prefectures – regional areas or similar to a State in the US) of Akita which is a remote and mountainous area in Northern Japan.
Originally the Akita was owned by the nobles of Japan. They were used for tracking and hunting wild boar, deer and black bear. As you can imagine coming across a cornered wild boar and especially a black bear, the dog has to be fearless and cannot back down. These are attributes of the Akita.
Odate City is the home of the Akita dog (Akita-Inu) and was also the birthplace of the famous Hachiko.
You can visit the Akita Dog museum and view the dozens of statues outside the Odate train station and all-round the city of Akita dogs and of course of Hachiko.
The Akita is officially a designated Natural monument of Japan.
The personality of The Akita
The Akita is a dominant and imposing dog, the Akita wasn’t bred to live/work in groups/packs. They are best alone or in a pair.
They can be aggressive towards other dogs, they will challenge any dog, basically, they have to be the top dog.
They have to be well trained and know their place in the family hierarchy. Akita’s are not recommended for first-time dog owners, because they are stubborn and their instinct is to dominate, so they have to be highly trained or they can be troublesome, to say the least.
The Akita is completely loyal and affectionate towards its family and can be protective of them, so strangers can be ignored or treated with suspicion.
A surprising aspect of the Akita I didn’t expect was that they like to keep themselves extremely clean.
They are described as cat-like as they keep themselves so clean and odorless.
In conclusion, they are very territorial and can be aggressive towards other dogs and will try to be the alpha, but with firm training, they can become more tolerant of other dogs.
They are completely loyal to their owner/family and will be affectionate to all who are close to them.
Celebrity owners of Akita’s
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe presented a Japanese Akita puppy to Russia’s gold medalist figure skater Alina Zagitova during a trip to Moscow in 2018.
The Russians seem to like Akita’s because the governor of Akita prefecture presented Yume an Akita female dog to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin as a thank you gift for Russia’s help after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
Other celebrities who own an Akita are:
- Sarah Michelle Gellar
- Cher
- Dan Aykroyd
- Helen Keller
- Evander Holyfield
I hope you have found some interesting information about the Akita in this article.
As I said at the start of this article on the Akita this is to give you some background information on the Akita.
My next article will be on the most famous Akita, which is Hachiko.
It’s an amazing story of loyalty and proves the old saying “A dog is man’s best friend”
