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The Hokkaido is a breed of dog. Other names for the breed include Ainu-ken, Seta, and Shita. In Japan, its name is sometimes shortened to Dō-ken. The Hokkaido is native to the prefecture of the same name in Japan.
The Hokkaido-Inu, the Kai-Inu, the Kisyu-Inu, the Ryukyu-Inu, the Shiba-Inu and the Shikoku-Inu are undoubtedly the native Japanese breeds, because they had been bred like a wolf for hunting by ancient hunters of Japan who were called "matagi." These breeds have now been well preserved by the Japanese preservation societies.
By the way, the Shiba is classified into three types, the Sanin-Shiba, the Shinsyu-Shiba and the Mino-Shiba. As a matter of fact, it is the Shinsyu-Shiba that we usually call the Shiba. The gene combinations of the Shinsyu-Shiba differs from the Sanin-Shiba or the Mino-Shiba.
Originally both the Akita-Inu and the Tosa-Inu were native Japanese dogs, but they were mixed with the Western breeds. Strictly speaking, they are not pure-blooded Japanese dogs (especially the Tosa).Among the Japanese people, the Akita, the Kai, the Kisyu, the Shiba and the Tosa are well-known, but many people don't know the Hokkaido, the Ryukyu and the Shikoku. Also the Japanese Chin, the Japanese Spitz and the Japanese Terrier are overseas dogs. They are not really native Japanese dogs.
Because of the great confusion during the 2nd World War, the number of the Japanese breeds decreased sharply. But the breeds have been more protected than ever by the efforts of the dog fanciers and the preservation societies after the War.
Appearance: The breed is medium in size, and has small,
triangular, upright ears. The small eyes have a rising
triangular outline. The Hokkaido has a coat of long, stiff
fur, and a second, shorter coat of soft fur. Colors include
red, white, black, tiger, sesame, and wolf-gray. Males are
typically 50 cm tall, and females a few centimeters shorter,
with body masses in the 20 kg range. Lifetimes of about 15
years are common.
The Hokkaido-Inu had been called the Ainu-Ken (Ainu Dog). In 1869 T. Blakiston (from Britain) named the dog the Ainu Dog. The Japanese people know him well, because in 1880 he proposed the Blakiston's Line that the Hokkaido Island's species differ from the Honsyu Island's ones through the study of birds distribution.
In 1937, the Ainu dog was designated in Japan as "a rare species protected by law" and it was decided that the official name of the breed would be Hokkaido-Inu. However, the dogs are almost always called Hokkaido-Ken among the Japanese people.
In the Japanese language, both "Inu" and "Ken" mean dog, but "Ken" is usually used with a noun such as the local name (for example, Hokkaido-Ken, Kai-Ken, and Shikoku-Ken). In fact, the use of “Inu” with a noun is generally considered incorrect. Thus, while the formal name in Japan is Hokkaido-Inu, the expression Hokkaido-Ken is more generally used in the spoken language.
Temperament: The breed is known for faithfulness to
its keeper, bravery, and the ability to withstand the cold,
among other traits. The breed is known for faithfulness to its keeper, bravery, and the ability to withstand the cold, among other traits. It has an innate sense of direction and can therefore return to its master no matter how great the distance. Despite its long history as a working breed, the Ainu Dog ideally combines the roles of family pet and hunter. This breed should not be allowed to run free around other animals. They are good with children if they are raised with them from puppyhood. This dog is not recommended for apartment life. It is moderately active indoors and will do best with a large yard.
Health: A lifespan of about 15 years is common.
History: The Hokkaido is thought to have its roots
in the Matagi-ken, a breed brought by the Ainu people from the
Tohoku region in the Jomon period. The later Yayoi people
brought a different breed to the Tohoku, but the isolation of
Hokkaido led to its line of Jomon dog having the least
influence from the Yayoi.
The history of the dog is very closely tied with the history of the Ainu people. This ancient Ainu people first settled in the whole of Japan with their dogs. They are the indigenious people of Japan.According to some hypothesis, they are the descendants of Southern Mongoloid migrants who entered the Japanese Islands several tens of thousands of years ago, before the Jomon Period (8000 BC to 300 BC).
However, in the Yayoi Period (300 BC to 250 AD) and Tumulus Period, Northern Mongoloid migrants entered the Honsyu Island with their dogs and so the original Ainu people were mixed with them and also the dogs.By the way, because they were so far away, the old ones who lived in the Okinawa Islands, the Tohoku district and the Hokkaido Island were not mixed and also their dogs.
Through research on the minute variations in skull structure, there is a hypothesis that the Okinawa people are related to the Honsyu people, but not the Ainu people. Also genetic sutudies propose the hypothesis that the ancient Ainu people are the descendants of another Northern Mongoloid migrants, who had not adapted themselves to the cold.
Since the rulers of Yamato Japan (Yamato Period: 300 AD to 710 AD) had started to expand their territory eastward, the Tohoku Ainu were constantly being displaced to the Hokkaido Island with their dogs. In Hokkaido, the Tohoku Ainu were mixed with the Hokkaido Ainu and also their dogs. Thus the Hokkaido-Inu came into existence in Hokkaido -- also the Ryukyu-Inu did so in Okinawa. Both the Hokkaido and the Ryukyu probably were southern dogs originally.
As the dogs mixed, the Kai-Inu, the Kisyu-Inu, the Shiba-Inu and the Shikoku-Inu were bred in the other islands of Honsyu, Kyusyu, and Shikoku.
In 1869, the English zoologist Thomas W. Blankiston gave
the breed the name Hokkaido. The breed was useful in the
search for survivors of an Army expedition that was caught in
heavy snow crossing the Hakkoda Mountains of Aomori Prefecture
in 1902. In 1937, the Ministry of Education designated the
breed a natural monument, and officially named it Hokkaidō-inu.
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