There are so many different kinds of dogs mentioned here, most of which I've never heard of. Is there someplace on this forum that has comparisons and descriptions in one place? Just curious!
At one point in time I had a goal of making a website detailing just that...but...life got in the way! I should make it a goal for this summer, to get it up & running
---
As a general description, there are six "Nihon Ken" [ Japanese Dogs ] 1 "large," 4 "medium," & 1 "small."
The largest of the lot is the Akita. There are two "types" [ or "breeds" ] of Akita; the Japanese Akita, & the American Akita [ also known as the Great Japanese Dog ] There are also mixes of the two "types" often called "Tweenies." There's a lot of breed politics involving the Akita...so I'm not going to go into that Essentially, Akita were once used to hunt Bear, but they've been softened a lot & are anything but the hunters they once were. Not saying they're "bad dogs," I love love love, Akita, just saying they're not as "sharp" or "prey driven" then their smaller cousins. They tend to love their people more than their doggy companions.
The four "medium sized "Nihon Ken are Shikoku, Kai, Kishu, & Hokkaido. These four are still used today to hunt Deer &/or Boar in Japan [ or if you're Gen, here in the united states ;p ] Shikoku tend to be Sesame Coloured, Kai tend to be Brindle Coloured, Kishu are mostly White, & Hokkaido I've seen are most often red or sesame. They do come in other colours, but these are the most common. These four breeds are not as biddable as the akita, but probably not quite as stubborn / independent as Shiba are. Some of these guys are also more "wild" than the others. I think Shikoku are probably the "softest" of the four, & I've heard Kai are essentially wild animals lol [ don't know how Kishu & Hokkaido fit in there ]
You'll find the most information on Shikoku & Kai, as Kishu & Hokkaido are not quite as common [ in the US ] as Shikoku & Kai are. [ tho Shikoku & Kai are still "rare" ]
Shiba, the 6th breed, are the smallest of the bunch. They used to be used as brush dogs. They're often described as "the cats of the dog world." Since the extreme popularity of the breed here in the states, there's a HUGE variety in temperament from one shiba to the next [ even in looks ] They are suppose to be "aloof" but I've met some shiba that were complete snugglers. Shiba aren't really used for hunting any more either.
---
Ultimately, there are faaaar more similarities then differences, I think. For example, all 6 breeds tend to have a good amount of prey drive [ making them harder to train off leash then say, a Retriever ] All have the typical spitzy Tighy Lips / Prick Ear / Curly [ or Sickle ] tail going for them, all are pretty clean dogs, all have the double coat they blow twice a year, & many of them share coat colours. [ brindle, sesame, red, cream, etc. ]
Also, you'll find people will outline the differences depending on their own experiences, & which representatives of the breeds they've met
If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask! ~
Oh, & some forum members use nicknames for the breeds lol So to avoid any confusion:
Breed Name = Nickname Akita = Akita [ JA = Japanese Akita, AA = American Akita ] Shikoku = Shika Kai = Kai [ or Tora inu / Tora Dog / Tiger Dog ] Hokkaido = Hokka Kishu = Ki
"Kochi Ken" is also used sometimes, & usually refers to Shikoku, but can also refer to any of the "medium" sized breeds. [ Shikoku, Kai, Kishu, Hokkaido ] ~
What is the difference between the Japanese and American Akita? Which one was Hachi in the American movie? Shibas are becoming more common where I live, but I don't think I've ever even seen an Akita in this area.
"Shika Inu" is the term used for the medium sized NK. People seem to use "Shika" to refer to Shikoku Ken, but really "Shika" should refer to all the medium sized NK.
Inu & ken = dog. So Akita Ken or Akita Inu = "Akita Dog".
----
The movie shows a JA, the AA typically has a dark mask. There are lots of differences between the 2 types of Akita. The JA variety is referred to as the "Akita Inu", so when searching for info on them I would do my search on "Akita Inu" and not just "Akita".
""Shika Inu" is the term used for the medium sized NK. People seem to use "Shika" to refer to Shikoku Ken, but really "Shika" should refer to all the medium sized NK."
Yes, that's right, I forgot Shika is suppose to refer to the four medium sized since I mostly see us [ us = general forum members ] use it as a petname for Shikoku lol ~
Eileen, here are some visual references for you to get a general idea of the differences [ obviously, there are more differences then just the physical, and the are variances within each breed, but this is a good start, since we see first ]
American Akita [ or Great Japanese Dog ]
---
Japanese Akita [ or Akita Inu ]
---
Shikoku
---
Kai
---
Kishu
---
Hokkaido
---
Shiba
--- *AA image snagged off of google, Other images snagged from here. ~
With regards to "Shika", doesn't it refer to deer and so "Shika Inu" refers to deer dog, not medium sized dog? In the same way, "Shishi" refers to boar, and "Shishi Inu" (Gen's handle) refers to boar dog?
Do native speakers use "shika inu" when referring to all medium-sized dogs or just the ones they assume will be deer hunters?
Shika Inu means medium sized dog. Although lazy typers like me call Shikokus Shikas when I don't want to type the word. ha ha ha.
I'd like to add about Kai is that they commonly come in a black brindle in the US. It is what we mostly have available. They pretty much look like a black dog unless you catch them in the sunlight and you can faintly see their stripes. They also have small beadie (?sp) eyes.
I wish we had more red brindle kai here [ tho I'd still be happy with a more black kai, I do think the reds are just really nice eye candy lol I guess they're a bit more "eyecatching" ]
Ayk - I'd bet money it varies from dialect to dialect, town to town, area to area lol [ kind of like the whole soda vs coke vs pop thing here in the states ]~
To borrow from a letter written by the foreign secretary of Nippo in 1934 (here he's referring to the Japanese Dog (Nihon Ken), "Up to now this breed was classified into three distinct species - Shishi Inu, Shika Inu, and Shiba Inu, translated into English respectively as Boar Hound, Deer Hound, and Turf Dog. But we have since then discovered that this classification is not accurate, in fact it is misleading, for the different species are nothing more than the evolved animals not through interbreeding, but by the different districts in which they were bred, such as the Ainu Inu, the Akita Inu or the Kai Inu. It will be more scientific to classify them, however by the difference in sizes and call them the large, medium, and small."
The Nihon Ken are really one breed (sort of anyway), with variations in type depending on the areas they evolved in and the work they were used for. Shika-inu is still used on occasion in referring to the medium sized NK as most NK around nowadays are deer type. Of course now with the closed registries the 6 NK are all separate breeds.
Shishi-inu-gata (boar dog type) is stockier, and Shika-inu-gata (deer dog type), is slender and more athletic with longer legs.
this thread is really interesting, i never realised there was such a difference between them, especially as i often mix the shikoki and kishu inu up. does Japan have a kennel club standard for them? i'd be interested to read it, sometimes it's hard to distinguish the differences from pictures without the definitions written down in front of me lol.
Hi, I joined this site no too long ago with similar questions. There is a terrific wealth of knowledge and experience available at this site with regard to NK that, so far, I can usually find an earlier discussion providing me with answers to questions that pop into my head! This is a great group of folks, ready to share their experience with others!
Thanks to all who responded - I learned a lot already!
OK, so the original Hachi movie was called Hachiko Monogatari - what does that mean? And is it "chu ken" that means "faithful dog"?
There is a shiba rescue fairly near me that has been at several pet expos in the last year or so, so I will try and ask more questions when I see them next!
I can help with "Hachiko Monogatari": "The Story/Tale of Hachiko"
Sorry, I can't help w/ the term "chu-ken" as I'm not familiar w/ that specific term in relation to dogs. No worries, though, I'm sure there'll be four or five replies w/ accurate translations posted in no time!
Comments
---
As a general description, there are six "Nihon Ken" [ Japanese Dogs ] 1 "large," 4 "medium," & 1 "small."
The largest of the lot is the Akita. There are two "types" [ or "breeds" ] of Akita; the Japanese Akita, & the American Akita [ also known as the Great Japanese Dog ] There are also mixes of the two "types" often called "Tweenies." There's a lot of breed politics involving the Akita...so I'm not going to go into that
The four "medium sized "Nihon Ken are Shikoku, Kai, Kishu, & Hokkaido. These four are still used today to hunt Deer &/or Boar in Japan [ or if you're Gen, here in the united states ;p ] Shikoku tend to be Sesame Coloured, Kai tend to be Brindle Coloured, Kishu are mostly White, & Hokkaido I've seen are most often red or sesame. They do come in other colours, but these are the most common. These four breeds are not as biddable as the akita, but probably not quite as stubborn / independent as Shiba are. Some of these guys are also more "wild" than the others. I think Shikoku are probably the "softest" of the four, & I've heard Kai are essentially wild animals lol [ don't know how Kishu & Hokkaido fit in there ]
You'll find the most information on Shikoku & Kai, as Kishu & Hokkaido are not quite as common [ in the US ] as Shikoku & Kai are. [ tho Shikoku & Kai are still "rare" ]
Shiba, the 6th breed, are the smallest of the bunch. They used to be used as brush dogs. They're often described as "the cats of the dog world." Since the extreme popularity of the breed here in the states, there's a HUGE variety in temperament from one shiba to the next [ even in looks ] They are suppose to be "aloof" but I've met some shiba that were complete snugglers. Shiba aren't really used for hunting any more either.
---
Ultimately, there are faaaar more similarities then differences, I think. For example, all 6 breeds tend to have a good amount of prey drive [ making them harder to train off leash then say, a Retriever ] All have the typical spitzy Tighy Lips / Prick Ear / Curly [ or Sickle ] tail going for them, all are pretty clean dogs, all have the double coat they blow twice a year, & many of them share coat colours. [ brindle, sesame, red, cream, etc. ]
Also, you'll find people will outline the differences depending on their own experiences, & which representatives of the breeds they've met
If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask! ~
Breed Name = Nickname
Akita = Akita [ JA = Japanese Akita, AA = American Akita ]
Shikoku = Shika
Kai = Kai [ or Tora inu / Tora Dog / Tiger Dog ]
Hokkaido = Hokka
Kishu = Ki
"Kochi Ken" is also used sometimes, & usually refers to Shikoku, but can also refer to any of the "medium" sized breeds. [ Shikoku, Kai, Kishu, Hokkaido ] ~
Some of us have "medium sized" Shibas as in my 42 pound male and 32 pound female! *lol*
This is a great reference for people!
What is the difference between the Japanese and American Akita? Which one was Hachi in the American movie? Shibas are becoming more common where I live, but I don't think I've ever even seen an Akita in this area.
Inu & ken = dog. So Akita Ken or Akita Inu = "Akita Dog".
----
The movie shows a JA, the AA typically has a dark mask. There are lots of differences between the 2 types of Akita. The JA variety is referred to as the "Akita Inu", so when searching for info on them I would do my search on "Akita Inu" and not just "Akita".
----
Yes, that's right, I forgot Shika is suppose to refer to the four medium sized since I mostly see us [ us = general forum members ] use it as a petname for Shikoku lol ~
American Akita [ or Great Japanese Dog ]
---
Japanese Akita [ or Akita Inu ]
---
Shikoku
---
Kai
---
Kishu
---
Hokkaido
---
Shiba
---
*AA image snagged off of google, Other images snagged from here. ~
Do native speakers use "shika inu" when referring to all medium-sized dogs or just the ones they assume will be deer hunters?
I'd like to add about Kai is that they commonly come in a black brindle in the US. It is what we mostly have available. They pretty much look like a black dog unless you catch them in the sunlight and you can faintly see their stripes. They also have small beadie (?sp) eyes.
Ayk - I'd bet money it varies from dialect to dialect, town to town, area to area lol [ kind of like the whole soda vs coke vs pop thing here in the states ]~
To borrow from a letter written by the foreign secretary of Nippo in 1934 (here he's referring to the Japanese Dog (Nihon Ken), "Up to now this breed was classified into three distinct species - Shishi Inu, Shika Inu, and Shiba Inu, translated into English respectively as Boar Hound, Deer Hound, and Turf Dog. But we have since then discovered that this classification is not accurate, in fact it is misleading, for the different species are nothing more than the evolved animals not through interbreeding, but by the different districts in which they were bred, such as the Ainu Inu, the Akita Inu or the Kai Inu. It will be more scientific to classify them, however by the difference in sizes and call them the large, medium, and small."
The Nihon Ken are really one breed (sort of anyway), with variations in type depending on the areas they evolved in and the work they were used for. Shika-inu is still used on occasion in referring to the medium sized NK as most NK around nowadays are deer type. Of course now with the closed registries the 6 NK are all separate breeds.
Shishi-inu-gata (boar dog type) is stockier, and Shika-inu-gata (deer dog type), is slender and more athletic with longer legs.
OK, so the original Hachi movie was called Hachiko Monogatari - what does that mean? And is it "chu ken" that means "faithful dog"?
There is a shiba rescue fairly near me that has been at several pet expos in the last year or so, so I will try and ask more questions when I see them next!
Sorry, I can't help w/ the term "chu-ken" as I'm not familiar w/ that specific term in relation to dogs. No worries, though, I'm sure there'll be four or five replies w/ accurate translations posted in no time!