Mixing of the Different Bloodlines Analysis of the Akita Dogs Part 12

Mixing of the Different Bloodlines Analysis of the Akita Dogs Part 12 1 By MUTSUO OKADA Although I have previously discussed Goromaru s pinto coat and coat quality, I would now go into more of the details on the pinto coat. I will now compare the photos of Goromaru (photograph 32) with the photos of the primitive type Japanese pinto dogs. Photographs 1A and 1B are those of the prewar pinto dogs. Photograph 2 is of a postwar Japanese pinto dog. You will notice that none of these dogs had the black masks. Photograph 1A is that of the famous Tohoku matagi (hunter s) dog, Funi-go (Fuji-go). His original name was "Kesakichi Buchi". His owner was Mr. Kesajiro Takahashi who ran a hunting lodge in the village of Gosho in the County of Iwate in Iwate. At the age of ten, this dog went to Tokyo to Mr. Toju Hirashima (photograph 33), who was a prominent animal photographer and was one of the influential figures of Nippo at that time. Mr. Hirashima renamed "Kesakichi Buchi" to Funi. (This name meant the One and Only ). Notice the facial differences between Funi and Goromaru (photograph 32). Informed Japanese medium dog fans said that although the era of the Kongo-go line had passed and the era of Goromaru had arrived, they were critical of the St. Bernard features they saw in Goromaru. However, some of those in the large Japanese dog who were involved with Goromaru felt that in spite of such faults in Goromaru, they wanted to use Goromaru to improve the Akita dog through careful selections of puppies from each litter from Goromaru, and breed toward the primitive Japanese dog type. The somewhat longer tail coat (photograph 3) was the most noticeable feature of Goromaru. For a time, many of the Akita dogs had longer tail coats. These longer tail coats were criticized as being similar to the susuki (Japanese pampas grass) coat. In Part 2, I did mention the rising popularity of the pinto coat when Goromaru became famous. An emphasis toward producing such pinto dogs began to be heard. Some believe to this day that Goromaru's coat was of the highest quality (Undoubtedly, these people probably have never seen Goromaru, nor do they have the "eyes" for true coat quality). The coat quality of Goromaru was inferior to that of Tamakumo (photograph 31). However, the short coat of dogs of the Kongo line that preceded the Goromaru line was soon gone from the scene (in Japan). As mentioned previously, the first successful breeding from Goromaru occurred when he was bred to the bitches of the so-called Taihei line from the county of Senboku in Akita. As an example, the male, Tanihibiki, (photograph 39) discussed in Part 9, and the female, Kiyohime (photographs 7-12), were ranked at the top nationally. Their producing of many outstanding Akita dogs were mentioned before. In addition to Tanihibiki and Kiyohime from the Senboku area, Fudo-go (photograph 18 in Part 4) of Mr. Masutaro Ito was widely used for breeding (see Part 4), and this bloodline soon became popular. Fudo-go had vitality and a magnificent body. However, he did not do well at the dog shows, due to his faulty ears. He placed third in the seiken (30 months and up) male group at the Akikyo's Third Headquarters Show in Tokyo. Mr. Katsusuke Ishihara (photograph 3, also photograph 20 in Part 4) wrote in his critique that due to the dog s faulty ears, this dog should not be shown, but may be of value as a stud dog. I saw this dog at that dog show and was very impressed at first, until I saw his faulty ears. Fudo-go was sent to Santama, but I have heard that he was returned to Senboku when he came down with a bladder infection. Oyashu-go, (photograph 4) that resembled Fudo-go, won first place overall that day. However, Fudo-go was more spirited then Oyashu-go. Tanihibiki-go (see Part 9), photograph, Fudo-go (see Part 4), Oyashu-go and Nidai-Taiheigo (see Part 9) came from a bloodline of Akita dogs with the red coat and black mask. These dogs soon became popular. (Page 49) 1

2 Kiyohime-go won first place overall at the Akikyo's Headquarters Show. She also won the Akiho's Hanshoku Korosho (Distinguished Medal for Producing Outstanding Dogs). She is still known to Akita dog breeders to this day. At the Santama show that was mentioned in Part 2, (Mr. Hashimoto (owner of Kongo-go) objected loudly at the judge's decisions). Kiyohime placed sixth. I was impressed with her white cheeks that remain vivid in my mind to me to this day. She was soon shown at the Akikyo's Headquarters Show where she stood out among the females and won first place overall. Dog fans in Tokyo became confused when they saw this dog, without the colors of the Dewa line or the red coat with the black mask, but with a beautiful red coat with no black mask win at this show. One could say that this perhaps was the beginning by Akikyo toward the restoration of the Akita dog to the Japanese dog type. Kiyohime was first bred to Shoryu (Kongo x Tachibana) (photograph 8 in Part 3) and produced Dainikokuryu (photograph 27) (stud dog of Mr. Takaisami) and the female Akashi-go (photograph 41). She was then bred, under the recommendation of Mr. Kyono, to Tamakumo (photograph31) and produced Hakuun (Shiragumo) (photograph 37), Tamakiyo (photograph 38) and Kiyome (photograph 40) (dam of Daiunme), etc. At her third breeding, Kiyohime was again bred to Tamakumo, but no outstanding dogs were produced. Long haired Akita dogs were also produced from her last two breedings. Kiyohime was then bred to Senzan (photograph 26) and produced Seigetsu, Reigetsu, etc. Kiyohime and O-go (Toshi-go) produced Hakuomaru. Kiyohime and Unjo produced Muchi. Kiyohime's breeding to her son, Muchi, produced Toki-go? (Moriki-go?, Toari-go?). All of her offspring became topics of conversation. Through careful planning of the breeding programs, and care of her offspring, I believe Kiyohime was able to produce some foundation dogs. Her offspring had the features of their sires, but none of her appearance. None of her offspring had her features. However, her facial features appeared unexpectedly in her third and fourth generation descendants. These dogs were then used toward the purification of the bloodline. I am including some photographs of Kiyohime (photographs 7-10) that were taken from different angles to be studied as a foundation bitch. Although her hind legs were faulty, her movements were agile. She had a calm temperament, of which I was also quite impressed. A female that may have equalled Kiyohime was Tetsumaru-go (photograph 13). She was a littermate of Tanihibiki. The jeweler (referring to Mr. Ryosuke Tajimoto who owned Tamakumo) used to say Tetsumaru was better than Kiyohime. Mr. Masumi (Sanezumi) Kaneko, who owned Tanihibiki, once took Tetsumaru to Kyushu and Nagoya to find a buyer. However, breeding opportunities for Tetsumaru were limited. She was bred to Oshi-go (Dainidewa x Datebaname) (photograph 16) and produced a dog called Jinmaku. Jinmaku was not an outstanding dog. This was the only dog that Tetsumaru produced. However, since Jinmaku came from the bloodline of Tetsumaru, Jinmaku's breeding services were in demand. However, Akita dogs with Tetsumaru's white coat were not reproducible. Gorome (photograph 14) was as popular as Kiyohime. Although Gorome was ranked highly in the overall class at the Akikyo's headquarters show, her ears were large (with a large body). After producing a litter from Senzan-go, she met an accidental death. At that time, I was raising Gorome's daughter, Onohime (photograph 15). I bred Onohime to Daisanshiranami,(photograph 28) an old dog that was the last dog of the Akita Nikkei line, and produced Hokutomaru (photograph 29). Hokutomaru had a clear yellowish red coat. Fortunately, his offspring produced in succession, dogs such as Kita-no-o-go (photograph 36) with the white coat of the Nikkei line, which contributed toward the restoration of the Japanese dog. More on this will be discussed later. Breeding of Goromaru to females of the so-called Taihei line was successful for a time. However, some unexpected difficulties were encountered. In order to increase the height of the Akita dog, Mr. Ishihara recommended the use of Ryuo-go (photograph 42) with a height of 2 shaku 5 sun (approximately 7.5 cm, 29.8 inches) and Oshi-go (photograph 16) with a height of 2 shaku 4 sun (approximately 72.7 cm, 28.6 inches). Both of these dogs came from the Dewa line. Red dogs of the Taihei line also had white cheeks (no mask), but were lacking in height. Females from the Taihei line were bred to hugh males from the Dewa line. Females that resulted from this breeding were then bred to Goromaru and other males. The idea was to introduce the Dewa line first and then breed the resulting bitches to 2

3 Goromaru. However, the results were disappointing. Oshi was used more frequently. Dogs of higher purity from these breeding did not have the required height. One was also unable to eliminate the impure type of Akita dog with the required height. One was also unable to increase the size of the smaller Japanese type Akita dog. The two types of dogs remained separate. Breeding females of the Taihei line to Oshi resulted in the male, Ryugyoku-go (black sesame), females Futaba-go (that went to Mr. Toyoizumi of Kanai), Kaoru-go (to Mr. Waku of Ashikaga), Chiyono- Hana-go (dam of Kiyomaru), Fuji-go (dam of Fujigoro) and others. These dogs were popular. However, these dogs had coat colors that were faded. Goromaru and Fuji (photograph 43) produced Fujigoro (photograph 17), which showed no improvements. Height had not increased also. Dogs with the increased height were of the impure type and not satisfactory. Thus, the introduction of the bloodlines of huge impure Akita dogs did not produce the expected results. Generally, height was increased by breeding directly to Goromaru. Kiyohime resembled her dam, Chinpei. However, Chinpei was smaller than Kiyohime. I am of the opinion that since by breeding Chinpei to Goromaru, Kiyohime that was larger than Chinpei was produced. Therefore, instead of using dogs from the Dewa line, using dogs such as Fudo-go and littermate, Hakuryumaru-go (photograph 5) with a height of 2 shaku 4 sun (approximately 72.7 cm, 28.6 inches), one perhaps could have been able to attain the goal of producing the pure type Akita dog with the required height. Many believed at that time that Tanihibiki (of the Ichinoseki line) was smaller in size than dogs of the Dewa line. (Page 50) Huge dogs were then used to hasten the increase in height. Almost everyone was thinking along those lines. In Tokyo, Mr. Amemiya, who owned a huge female named Shugetsu,? (Hidezuki?) an inbred dog of the Kongo line, bred her to Tanihibiki in an effort to produce a "large Tanihibiki." However, the resulting Mura-no-Aka-go, although huge, had the impure features that were very noticeable. The Akikyo and Mr. Ryonosuke Hiraizumi (photographs 25, 26) of Akiho thus came to the conclusion that dogs that were more than 2 shaku 3 sun (approximately 69.7 cm, 27.4 inches) in height were unsatisfactory. Thus the idea of producing Akita dogs with the height of no more than approximately 2 shaku 2 sun (approximately 66.7 cm, 26.2 inches) with a solid build and excellent features began to take hold with the Akiho and the Akikyo. In dog breeding, it was difficult to extract only the desirable features from dogs with genes that were reciprocal. The following is a household tale that tries to illustrate this point. A famous actress is said to have said to a famous scholar, "We could have a child with my gorgeous body and your brilliant mind." The scholar's reply was "What would happen if our child inherited my poor body and your poor brain instead?" I believe this could be also true of the Akita dog. Not too long ago, I read some articles by Dr. Kusuo Koshiro (Kojo; Furujo) and Mr. Katsuro Matsumoto on their breeding of the Shikoku dogs. Goma (photograph 22), Choshun (Nagaharu) (photograph 23) and Kusu (Kusunoki) (photograph 24) were three known Shikoku dogs at that time. According to Dr. Koshiro, Goma of the Hata line had the juko (substance, profoundness, grave and serious attitude), tanjushitsu (hot temper?) and tendency toward obesity. Choshun (Nagaharu) of the Hongawa (Motokawa) line, on the other hand, did not have those features of Goma. If Goma was the judo man or boxer in the sport world, Choshun would be the marathoner, or a "Sogarui-inu ("Light dog")." Attempts to blend these two famous dogs were unsuccessful. However, success came when dogs from the bloodline of Kusu-go of the type that fell between Goma and Choshun were used. I read an article on how Kusu-go played that important role. In an impure dog breed such as the Akita dog, one cannot easily produce the ideal dog. Years later, Akikyo had a similar problem with their two stars, Shinhakuho (photograph 34) and Tenko (photograph 35). Shinhakuho's white coat, coat length and coat quality were excellent. Tenko's body and back were excellent. However, his red coat was short (although it was within the standard). Attempts to blend these two bloodlines were unsuccessful. My attempts to combine the strong points of each dog in my breeding program were also unsuccessful. Some of their distinguishing features were lost in some cases. I was also not able to hold on to any of the gains. Prior to this, Akikyo and Akiho had different types of Akita dogs. (A period of cooperation between the two dog 3

4 organizations with Daiunme was mentioned in Part 11.). A topic that was widely discussed in Akita dog circles was an "Akikyo dog's body attached to an Akiho dog's head would be the ideal." However, this is more easily said than done. Akiho favored the large head. Akikyo referred to this large head as the Ranchu (goldfish with a lion like head). Akiho countered by saying, "The dog from Akikyo has an excellent body, but the face of their Akita dog lacks the appearance of dignity," Dogs with the short muzzles and faulty ears do not run well. Akikyo at that time promoted running exercises to develop the dog's body. They required their dogs to run a distance of about 3 ri (approximately 7.32 miles) in forty minutes. I will discuss this in detail at a lateer time on body building of the dog. Puppies from parents that run well should be selected. Those who are involved in this have their own formulas worked out in selecting the right puppies. One should not pick puppies with the large heads and ears that are not in balance with the body. Dogs with overly large heads and faces do not run well. Their bodies will also not develop into the runner type. One can say that these dogs came from a different breed. Through careful selection, one may be able to make progress toward the ideal Akita dog. A careful selective process is of utmost importance. Mr. Takuro Yanagisawa, who is involved with the Kai dog believes that "one will be able to see any changes in a dog by the fourth generation." In the Akita dog that is composed of many breeds, a litter may contain many types of dogs. Careful selection of puppies through successive generations is of importance. Therefore, one can say that through cooperative breeding programs, by combining different bloodlines, one was able to produce their desirable type of dog. (Page 51) To what extent can a popular stud dog exert their influence in making any changes in their breed? I have seen this happen in the Akita dog and this is probably also true of other animals. Thoroughbreds had their beginnings when one hundred and two horses from the Orient were introduced to the native horses in the United Kingdom during the seventeenth century. Today, only three horses are directly descended from the original sire. These three are known as the three daikon-kanba (poorly? spirited horses) from the thoroughbreds. From among these ninety percent of these horses come from the bloodline of a horse named Dolly Arabian [according to the Nihon Chuo Keibakai (Japan Central Racehorse Club)]. In the Matsuzaka cow circles of today, according to the TV program, "Takeshi," the world famous Matsuzaka beef originated from a foundation male named, Tajiri-go that was born in 1939 (14 th year of Showa). This Tajiri-go produced 1,500 offspring. Twenty percent of these offspring went to various areas to be used as studs. Because of their fame, a monument to the person who produced Tajiri-go has been erected in his hometown for his accomplishments. Whether good or bad, man's desire to create is amazing indeed. Mr. Kiyoshi Komatsu of the Akita Honso Kennel passed away several years ago. He was an Akiho judge who was well known and had the respect of Akiho members nationwide. The endeared addressed him as "Komatsu-san" or "Komatchan." (He also loved his sake.) He purchased Daiunme from Mr. Ishibashi (Daiunme's fate will be discussed later.) and produced three litters that resulted in dogs of the so-called Daiunme line. From his days as a youth, Mr. Komatsu was one of the favored pupils of Mr. Kyono, and was a frequent visitor to the home of Mr. Kyono. Thus, Mr. Komatsu referred to Mr. Ishibashi (who was a close relative of Mr. Kyono) as "Aniki ("My Older Brother")" or "Oyabun ("My Boss")" in front of his friends. Mr. Komatsu also received quite a number of Akita dogs from Mr. Kyono. Mr. Komatsu then distributed these dogs among his pupils who were involved with the Akita dog. Mr. Kyono would often phone Mr. Komatsu and say to him, "Komatsu, bring your truck. I've got some more dogs for you." We also had a close relationship with Mr. Seinosuke Yoshida. We called Mr. Yoshida "Seichan, Seichan." He would take me to the home of the jeweler (Mr. Tajimoto) who owned Tamakumo to spend the night. Mr. Komatsu once told me that his name became synonymous with sake because of his drinking habit. He learned to drink sake from a cup from "Seichan." It was a sight to see the younger Mr. Seinosuke lead the older Mr. Komatsu around at Mr. Kyono's home. When Akiho was awarding the Tokuyu liberally, members of Akiho had more faith in Mr. Komatsu's judgment on the awarding of the Meiyosho as a judge than the other judges. In his travels, Mr. Komatsu began to gain new followers in the Kansai area. He developed a close relationship with Mr. Kiyotsugu Ishii, who was the chairman and head trustee of the Akiho's Tokai Regional Branch. It is also interesting to note that Mr. Ishii, who 4

5 was older than Mr. Komatsu, became Mr. Komatsu s pupil. Mr. Ishii promoted Daiunme by saying that the era of Daiunme had arrived. Mr. Komatsu was revered by his followers. Mr. Ishii purchased Yama-go (photograph 20) and began to advertise this dog. Mr. Ishibashi was shocked. [Prior to this Mr. Ishii had purchased Nidai-Muchi (Muchi II) from Mr. Ohara of Yuzawa, but this dog died soon thereafter.]. Mr. Ishibashi said, "Yama-go is a monster," and is said to have told Mr. Komatsu privately, "Kiyoshi, why didn't you help Ishii get the facts straight? " Mr. Ishii was acting as if he were an authority on dogs. When Mr. Ishii was active with Akiho, he visited Mr. Kyono in Yuzawa. He later visited Mr. Ishihara and is said to have told him, "Mr. Kyono said, the ideal Akita dog is one with the Akikyo dog's body and the face of an Akita dog from Akiho." Mr. Ishihara was shocked upon hearing this, and phoned Mr. Ishibashi immediately. "Did Mr. Ishii visit Tosan (referring to Mr. Kyono?) "Yes." "Did Tosan say that the ideal Akita dog should have an Akikyo dog's body and an Akiho dog's face?" "No. He said no such thing. I was with Mr. Ishii from the time he arrived at the station until I saw him off." "I see." I was unaware of this story until I heard this story again and again at the headquarters shows. Mr. Ishihara was upset over the comment that was made by Mr. Ishii. He kept saying, "The head at Akiho are still saying such things. They still believe that such a face on the Akita dog is desirable. Those two (referring to Ishibashi and Komatsu) when they were associated with Akiho at that time were just kidding and were not serious." These episodes illustrate the fact that the mixing of dogs from different bloodlines was not always successful. Although I have strayed from my topic on Goromaru's offspring and his descendants, looking at Yama-go may make one feel that they may have strayed widely into a different direction. However, this may not have been entirely true, but such a trend was somewhat true during that period. I would, in passing, mention the jiraiya (original?) pattern of Kumohibiki (photograph 21). Kumohibiki came out of Tanigumo and Daiunme at the home of Mr. Komatsu. As a seiken (30 months and up), he became popular nationwide and also won the Meiyosho. As a solid colored brindle, he produced a family of dogs, such as Kumomaru, Tetsuyuki and Bankomaru (Azumazakura x Daiunme). None of these dogs were pintos. Thus, Kumohibiki did not produce any pintos. (Page 52) Mr. Ito of Akita City never sold any of his valuable dogs at any price. He once received a telegram that offered 6,000,000 yen ($18,750 at 320 yen/$1.00) and turned it down. He was told that he was foolish in turning down such an offer. Kumohibiki had the so-called "jiraiya (original?)" brindle facial pattern. Because of my concern about this facial pattern, I sought Mr. Komatsu s opinion on this matter. His explicit reply was "I do not like `jiraiya (original?)' and would sell such dogs." Seichan (Mr. Seinosuke Yoshida) urged me to breed my dog to Akikyo's Tanigumo (photograph 44). I complied, but Akiho did not want any of the puppies. However, Mr. Kyono was kind enough to buy two of the females. Although dogs of the Daiunme line are in demand today, this was not true then and one often tried to drown one s sorrows by drinking. This brindle male, Kumohibiki was popular at Akiho for a while. The bloodline of Taihei-go was still unknown during the immediate postwar period, This was a period of much confusion when it came to the Akita dog. His sire with an unknown pedigree lived at a sake brewery called the Datenohana. Neither Mr. Ishihara (of Akikyo) nor Mr. Hiraizumi (of Akiho) were sure if this information was correct. Akiho created what they believed was a suitable pedigree and Akikyo adopted it also. Taihei and Chinpei were littermates. Mr. Masutaro Ito's father is said to have told Mr. Ishihara "Heiwa (Peace) had arrived in an unusual way (mezurashiku = chin) in the Tai-hei (pei)-yo (Pacific Ocean). To celebrate this occasion, he named the two dogs accordingly, Chinpei (Unusual Peace) and Taihei (Pacific, Peace) Close linebreeding produced only smaller dogs that had red coats, but these dogs had no black masks. However, some discrepancies in the pedigrees of these two dogs released by Akiho have led to some confusion that has been difficult to solve.. Mr. Ishihara has also stated that looking at the pedigree from Akiho has left him confused. He has 5

6 also questioned the pedigree of the sire, Datenohana. I was able to clear up on this matter after many years of difficult research. I have mentioned this briefly in an article related to this matter in the Aiken No Tomo magazine. I plan to present more details on this in the future, when the opportunity arises. In addition to the successes of the descendants of Goromaru and females of the Taihei line, successes also resulted from the breeding of Goromaru to females of the Nikkei line. Such examples are Bankomaru (dam: Kamihamame) and Daio-go (dam: Mari) of the Taihei line. These dogs are facing each other at a dog show in photograph 11 in Part 6. I will defer my discussion on the Nikkei line for now and plan to continue my discussion of Goromaru's descendants that came out of other bloodlines with their photographs in Part 13. I will limit my discussions to the bloodlines of females. Tanihibiki, the first son of Goromaru was used for breeding in Akita and in Tokyo. He produced many famous Akita dogs. These dogs had the desirable features of Goromaru in their genes. Offspring of Tanihibiki such as Fukutaro that was discussed in Part 4 and Tanigumo were also used as stud dogs to establish their own Akita dog bloodlines. For this reason, Goromaru and Tamakumo are credited for establishing the two great bloodlines of the Akita dog. The excellent genetic traits of a solid tight body and firm and strong spirit had taken over. Offspring and descendants of both dogs continued to produce Akita dogs with improvements. This led to a period when almost any affordable person was able to own a famous dog. PHOTOGRAPHS 1A. Kesakichi-buchi-go (Date of birth: 1927). This dog along with Yoichi-no-shiro (White of Yoichi) (of the matagi, Yoichi Oseki) = later known as Oyajiro-go and Sentaro-aka (red) (of the matagi, Sentaro Takafuji.) are now known historically as the matagi (the term matagi in the Ainu language refers to hunter s. Reference: Ono, Junichi, Inu no Yogo Jiten (An Encyclopedia of Dog Terminology, p. 210, 1986, Seibundo Shinkosha Publishing co. Ltd., Tokyo.) dogs. 1B. Photograph of a Japanese buchi (pinto) dog taken around 1928 by Mr. Hirokichi Saito in the suburbs of Osaka. 2. Oishi-no-Tetsu-go (A Kishu dog). Date of birth: 1955. A hunting dog. 3. Tail coat of Goromaru. 4. Oyashu-go. Dam: Hinode (Taihei x Haado). 5. Hakuryumaru-go. Dam: Yohira (Yohei) (Taihei x Ishikawa). Littermate of Fudo-go. Approximately 2 shaku 4 sun (approximately 72.7 cm, 28.6 inches) tall. He was a large dog. His large size has been attributed to drinking plenty of milk. 6. Fujime-go. Sire: Fuji-go (Taihei x Pochi) (See Part 9). Dam: Sakaurame-go. A female of the Taihei line type. Females of this type of the smaller size have been seen in Shimizu (Kiyomizu) Village in Senboku County. These dogs became the foundation dogs of this type. 7. Kiyohime-go. Dam: Chinpei-go. Photo taken in 1953 (28 th year of Showa) when she won first place overall at the Akikyo's headquarters show. Her beautiful line, extending from the forehead to the muzzle, unlike that of her sire Goromaru should be noted. 6

7 8. Kiyohime-go (photo no. 2) taken on same day as in photo 7. 9. Kiyohime-go (photo no.3) also taken on same day as in photo 7. 10. Kiyohime-go (photo no. 4) nursing puppies from her second breeding to Tamakumo. Date of photo: August 1954 (29 th year of Showa). At the home of Mr. Yonezawa. 11. Kiyohime-go (photo no. 5) with Mr. Ishibashi (Tamejiro) as the handler when she was shown as one of the reference dogs. 12. Kiyohime-go (photo no. 6) was indeed a dog with the ryosei (benign temperament) 13. Tetsumaru-go (Female. Littermate of Tanihibiki). Dam: Shiromaru-go. This famous female that was regarded to be better than Kiyohime by Mr. Tajimoto. For reasons unknown, she did not win at dog shows. She was probably ahead of her time. Photo by Mr. Ryosuke Tajimoto (The owner of Tamakumo). 14. Gorome-go. Dam: Chinko (Taihei x Chinpei). As it was with Kiyohime, Gorome did not have the black mask. Her temperament was excellent. She was also large. 15. Onohime-go (as a puppy). Sire: Senzan. Dam: Gorome. At the lovable age when her permanent teeth were emerging. Had difficulty with distemper. Ears are not yet standing. 16. Oshi-go. Sire: Dainidewa. Dam: Datehaname [Dewataro (Dainiterunishiki x Hayakuchi-Goma) x Karl (Tetsuriki x Taketorame)]. Karl was mentioned in Part 5. Oshi-go was produced and adored by Mr. Masashi (Masaru, Akira, Sakae) Tanaka. 17. Fujigoro-go. Sire: Goromaru. Dam: Fuji (Oshi x Gocho). 18. Miura-no-Aka-go. Sire: Tanihibiki. Dam: Shugetsu. Miura-no-Aka-go was not as large as his sire, Tanihibiki. 19. Hakuomaru-go. Sire: Oki-go (Okina-go, Toshi-go) [sold to someone in the Kansai (Kyoto-Osaka) area.] Dam: Kiyohime. Awarded the Soridaijinsho (The Prime Minister's Award) at the 31st Nippo Headquarters Show in 1959 (34 th year of Showa). Sire Oki-go was red. Sire: Tanimitsu (Tanihibiki x Yuse = littermate of Hobun). Dam: Hanawa-Hime. (Yuse was mentioned in Part 9. White female). Hakuomaru-go was adored by Mr. Hisajiro Fujita from Hirosaki. Since Mr. Fujita did not allow breeding to the public, only a few dogs were produced. I have seen this dog being allowed to run around in a large yard with a Borzhoi. According to Mr. Ishihara, although Yuse-go's ear tips were not standing, she was an excellent bitch. 20. Yama-go) [Littermate of Azumagumo (Toun). Sire: Azumazakura (Hachiman x Tamakiyo). Dam: Gyokurai (Hachiman x Meigyoku). Tamakiyo and Meigyoku came from Tamakumo and Akemi. 21. Kumohibiki-go. Sire: Tanigumo [Tanihibiki x Jurome (Tamakumo x Yayoi)]. Dam: Daiunme. This photo was taken when Kumohibiki-go was shown as a reference dog in Yuzawa. 22. Goma-go. Shikoku dog. 7

23.Choshun (Nagaharu). Shikoku dog 8 24. Kusu (Kusunoki). Shikoku dog 25. Ryonosuke Hiraizumi of Akiho. 26. Senzan-go.(Shintora x Daini-Jogetsu) 27. Daini-Kokuryu-go (Black Dragon II) [Shoryu (Kongo xtachibana) x Kiyohime]. (Courtesy of Mutsuo Okada) 28. Daisan-Shiranami-go (Shiranami x Akaishime) 29. Mutsuo Okada with Hokutomaru-go (Daisan-Shiranami x Onohime). 30. Left to right: Mutsuo Okada of Akikyo, Ryonosuke Hiraizumi of Akiho, Katsusuke Ishihara of Akikyo at a dog show. Fourth person on right is unidentified. Date of photo: December 1, l959. (Courtesy of Mutsuo Okada) 31, Tamakumo (Arawashi x Sankatsu) 32. Goromaru [Ichinoseki-Goma (Tsubaki-Goma) x Futatsui-Goma] 33. A prewar (WW2) photo taken by Mr. Ichiro Takahashi in front of the statue of Hachiko the faithful Akita dog at the Odate Station in Akita. Left to right; Hyoemon Kyono, Hirokichi Saito (seated), Genzo Satoda and Toju Hirashima. (Courtesy of Mutsuo Okada) 34. Shinhakuho-go (New White Treasure). [Shin-no-O-go x Tamazakura (Kumomaru x Tamagiku)] 35. Tenko-go [Choshun (Tetsuyuki x Tamamo) x Shiro-Giku ( Kumomaru x Hakuhome)] 36. Kita-no-O-go (King of The North) [Hakuho x Hoppo-Hime (Hokutomaru x Akane)] 37. Hakuun-go (Shirogumo-go) (White Cloud-go). 38. Tamakiyo-go (Tamakumo x Kiyohime). 39. Tanihibiki-go (Goromaru x Shiromaru) 40. Kiyome-go (Tamakumo x Kiyohime). Dam of Daiunme. 41. Akashi-go (female) (Shoryu x Kiyohime) 42. Ryuo-go (Kongo x Tachibana) 43. Fuji-go (Oshi x Kocho). Dam of Fujigoro-go. 8

9 44. Tanigumo (Tanihibiki x Jurome) Photographs 22 to 44 were added by the translator from other sources. Reference: Okada, Mutsuo, "Mixing of the Different Bloodlines, Akitainu Kaiseki ("Analyzing The Akita Dogs"), Part 12, Aiken Journal, pp. 48-52, October 2001, Shin-Journal-sha, Tokyo, Japan. *Akikyo (Akitainu Kyokai, The Akita Dog Society) was established in 1948 in Tokyo by Katsusuke Ishihara. #Akiho (Akitainu Hozonkai, The Akita Dog preservation Society) was established in 1927 in Odate in Akita by Shigeie Iizumi, Translated by Tatsuo Kimura with permission from Mutsuo Okada for educational purposes. Words in bold italics (pages in the Japanese text) and italics within parentheses supplied by the translator. Translated 11/19/2001. Edited 2/3/2009. AnalysisAkitaDogsPart12 9