The Kishu sometimes called Kishu Inu or Kishu dog is a Japanese breed of dog. It is descended from ancient medium-sized breeds and named after the Kishu region, now Mie Prefecture and Wakayama Prefecture. This breed is similar to the Hokkaido, Shikoku and the Kai Ken. The Japanese originally used this breed of dog for boar and deer hunting. Like the Shiba, they are often quiet. Kishu will stalk prey quietly rather than bark. They are the most commonly used purebred native Japanese breed used for hunting boar to this day.
Appearance
The Kishu stands 17-22 inches (43–55 cm) tall, averages 30–60 pounds and is considered a medium-sized dog. The standard only permits solid coloured dogs to be shown. Accepted show colours are white, sesame, red, and black & tan (NIPPO only). White is the most common colour in the breed. There is only one standard which illustrates white as the preferred coat colour. The nose colour is black, but with the white coats, flesh-coloured noses are permitted. The bite is either scissor or a level bite. The tail is either carried in a sickle or curled over the back. The coat is short, straight, and coarse with a thick undercoat. There is fringe on the cheeks and tail. The ears incline forward and are smaller rather than larger, but should maintain proportion with the head and dog overall. This breed is tough, agile and friendly.
Temperament
Kishu Ken is a one-person/one family dog. They are courageous and brave as hunters and will be loyal to their owners. They have a strong prey drive and will hunt small animals. A few have been known to do well with cats if raised with them. They do well with other dogs if socialized well as puppies, however, Kishu may become combative with other dogs who do not respect their boundaries, or become combative with other dogs when frustrated. They are quite headstrong and willful, making training necessary, but they are devoted and loyal to family, getting along well with children if raised with them. Kishu Ken like to keep an eye on whatever is going on, and sometimes find a high place to look out from. They can be aloof or shy around strangers. They are easily housebroken, intelligent, and strong-willed.
History
The Kishu is a Foundation Stock breed with the American Kennel Club. The American Kishu Registry and the National Kishu Club are the listed club contacts in the United States by the AKC, though no official AKC breed club may be listed until the breed moves from FSS into Miscellaneous class. Other registries include Japan Kennel Club (JKC) and Nihonken Hozonkai (NIPPO), both in Japan. The Nihon Ken Hozonkai is considered the main registry of the breed in its parent country and is responsible for the original breed standard. The Kishu has been recognized as a natural monument of Japan since 1934. Since the breed is so rare in North America and Europe, one might only ever see it in its native homeland, Japan. Even in Japan, the Kishu’s numbers are in rapid decline, and without dedicated enthusiasts, the breed may soon disappear.
Kishu Ken is a primitive dog that was selectively bred for the hunting of wild boar and deer in the mountainous Mie prefecture and Wakayama prefecture. The Kishu Ken were identified in a study in the 1930s carried out by a Japanese breeder, Haruo Isogai, which classified all native Japanese dog breeds into three categories: large-, medium-, and small-sized. The Kishu Ken belongs to the medium-sized dog group. The breed was not standardized until 1934 and was composed of the dogs collected from that area. When the breed first started, approximately 70% of individuals were said to be non-white. However, white is now the predominant colour. The popularity of a primarily white line of Kishu Ken spread the gene responsible for white through the gene pool and turned the Kishu Ken into the mostly-white breed it is today.
One legend from the Kii peninsula states that the first boar dog, and the progenitor to the Kishu breed, was a Honshu Wolf pup gifted to a hunter when he showed compassion for an injured she-wolf. This tale varies based on the telling, but the impact of this story on the Kishu breed persists today: many Kishu dogs include the word “wolf” in their names.