There are six Japanese dog breeds recognized in Japan as “Nihon-ken,” – true native Japanese breeds. From smallest to largest, they are the Shiba Inu, Shikoku Ken, Kishu Ken, Kai, Hokkaido Ken, and Akita Inu (and if you’re wondering what the difference is between “inu” and “ken,” read this).
When these breeds were on the brink of vanishing because of war and Western influence, Japanese fanciers, with the backing the Government, galvanized into action in the 1930s to restore breed numbers and preserve them for the future. In what was a stellar “how to” example of how save native breeds, they were designated as living Natural Monuments of Japan.
In this post, our attention turns to the only native breed not named after it’s geographical region, the Shiba Inu. Some sources write that this is because today’s Shiba Inu (which is to say the “modern” Shiba Inu) was bred from a number of Shiba-type dogs in different regions. A small, nimble dog, the Shiba was originally bred for hunting, and in part, its success in that capacity is due to its coping extremely very well in the mountainous areas of the Chūbu region. From 1912 to 1926, however, almost no purebred Shibas remained. Again, this was due a combination of war time food shortage, and a post-war distemper epidemic. All subsequent dogs were bred from the only three surviving bloodlines, the Shinshu Shiba from Nagano Prefecture, the Mino Shiba from the former Mino Province, and the San’in Shiba from Tottori and Shimane Prefectures.
We circle back to the Shiba’s size because it factors into one of the theories about the breed’s name.
The majority of experts believe either that the Shiba got its name from the brushwood bushes in which it hunted, or from the color of brushwood leaves similar to the color of the red Shiba Inu’s coat. A third theory, however, is based on an old translation of the word, “Shiba” which means small. Shiba Inu, then, could equate to small dog.
We’ve not come across any suggestion that the breed could have been named the Screaming Dog, but evidently, the breed is notorious for the “Shiba Scream” (turn your volume down):
BTW, did you know there are three other Shibas of Japan? Read on!
Image: Tokyo’s dream by Veronica Minozzi is available for purchase as fine art and in home decor and lifestyle items here