Contents:

Intented breeding

I'm planing a breeding between my male DAIRYU GO YAHATA MORISHITA KENSHA and my female CHIZU-HIME GO of Rasproki.

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About the size of the Akitas

Even nowadays one can hear people saying again and again about Akita males of small size: „This one is very small“ and the like, and therefore they prefer big males only for breeding - as it had been in the time of mixed Akitas.
Therefore I want to quote from a letter by Mr Kuroki, Japan, about the importance of the size of the Akita male.
The letter was directed to me, the Akita Club, and all Akita owners in Germany.
Mr Kuroki wrote:
You all think that the size of the Akitas is very important and therefore should be measured strictly. However, depending from the judge that measures the height of the dog there are nearly always differences.
Therefore a judge measuring the height of a dog can only decide whether the dog is extremely small or extremely big.
However, the most important factors while judging an Akita are:
The total appearance, the simplicity, the good character, the body shape, the quality and colour of the hair but not the height of the dog.
An example from Japan:
The male “ISE UNRYU OF ISE.MEIWA KENSHA“ Akiho 88-1325 (cf. photo) was - in spite of his size (height) of only 62 cm (small size) – the most used breeding male in Japan because of his perfect body shape, his perfect appearance, and his good character.
He sired many beautiful offspring of standard body size (females between 58 and 64 cm, and males between 64 and 70 cm) and therefore appears in nearly all breeding lines of Japanese Akitas.

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The new photos of my Akitas-made in December 2004- were produced under the co-operation of

Silvia Expozito (Spain) and

Helle Röschke (Germany).

I wish to thank them very much indeed.

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Breeding News II

My male SEIOU GO TSUKUNOSOW JP breed the female SEIYA GO SHUN`YOU KENSHA on December the 12th.
Owner of female is: SILVIA EXPOSITO Spain (see www.kensha.com)
4 puppies born.

SEIOU and SEIYA after breeding

Female SEIYA

Female SEIYA

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Female SEIYA with her two puppies (females).

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Breeding News I

My male DAIRYU GO YAHATA MORISHITA KENSHA breed the female CHICA OF ITOKO KEN on December the third.
Owner of female is: Jürgen Dörfler T.: 06106/17110
2 puppies born.

DAIRYU and CHICA

CHICA

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FCI-Standard Nr. 255/02.04.2001/GB

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD: 13.03.2001

Origin: JAPAN
Utilization: Companion dog
Classification F. C. I. : Group 5

GENERAL APPEARANCE:
Larg-sized dog, sturdily built, well balanced and with much substance; secondary sex characteristics strongly marked, with high nobility and dignity in modesty; constitution tough.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:
The ratio of height at withers to length of body (from the point of the shoulders to the point of the buttock) ist 10: 11, but the body is slightly longer in bitches than in dogs.

BEHAVIOUR AND TEMPERAMENT:
The temperament is composed, faithful, docile and receptive.

HEAD
KRANIAL REGION:
SKULL: The size is in proportion to the body. The forehead is broad, with distinet furrow. No wrinkle.
STOP: Defined.
FACIAL REGION:
Nose: Large and black. Slight and diffuse lack of pigment accepted in white dogs only, but black is always preferred.
Muzzle: Moderately long and strong with broad base, tapering but not pointed. Nasal bridge straight.
Jaws/Teeth: Teeth strong with scissor bite.
Lips: Tight.
Cheeks: Moderately developed.
Eyes: Relatively small, almost triangular in shape due to the rising of the outer eye corner, set moderately apart, dark brown: the darker, the better.
Ears: Relatively small, thik, triangular,slightly rounded at tips, set moderately apart, pricked and inclining forward.

NECK :
Thick and muscular, without dewlap, in balance with head.

BODY:
Back: Straight and strong.
Loin: Broad and muscular.
Chest: Deep, forechest well developed, ribs moderately well sprung.
Belly: Well drawn up.

TAIL: Set on high, thick,carried vigorously curled over back; the tip nearly reaching hocks when let down.

LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS:
Shoulders: Moderately sloping and developed.
Elbows: Tight.
Forearms: Straight and heavy-boned.
HINDQUARTERS:
Well developed, strong and moderately angulated.
Feet: Thik, round, arched and tight.

GAIT:
Resilient and powerful movement.

COAT:
HAIR: Outer coat harsh and straight, undercoat soft and dense; the withers and the rump are covered with slightly longer hair; the hair on tail is longer then the rest of the body.

COLOUR: Red fawn; sesam (red fawn hairs with black tips), brindle and white. All the above mentioned colours except white must have „ urajiro „ (Urajiro = whitish coat on the sides of the muzzle, on the cheeks, on the underside of jaw, neck,chest, body and tail and on the inside of the legs).

SIZE:
Height at the withers: Dogs : 67 cm,
bitches 61 cm.
There is a tolerance of 3 cm more or less.

FAULTS:
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with the fault should be regarded should be exact proportion to ist degree.

• Bitchy dogs/ doggy bitches.
• Undershot or overshot mouth.
• Missing teeth.
• Blue or black spotted tongue.
• Iris light in colour.
• Short tail.
• Shyness.

ELIMINATING FAULTS:

• Ears not pricked.
• Hanging tail.
• Long hair (shaggy).
• Black mask.
• Markings on white ground.

N.B. : Male animals should hawe two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

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The Akita book edited by JKC in 1998

Immediately after the publication, Mr Nakagawa gave me the book as a present.

This book is about the history of the Akitas, about the judging of Akitas, and about the genetic diseases of the Akitas.

Autoimmune diseases like Pemphigus, Uveitis, Lupus, VKH,PRA, Hypothyyroidism, thrombocytopenia and Hemolytic Anemia, Sebaceous Adenits, Hyp Dysplasia are unfortunately diseases/troubles that can occur with Akitas.

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Visit of Mr Naomase Hirose to me in Nuremberg (1997)

Mr Hirose is deputy of the chief secretary in JKC, breeding judge and chief secretary of Toyama Akita Club.

Besides he has been a breeder of Akitas for several decades, breeding up to 300 puppies a year.
When he visited me in Nuremberg for two days, accompanied by two Japanese interpreters, I could receive a lot of information on the Akitas.

He gave me information about:

• The feeding of Akitas.
• Akita diseases and treatment of SEBADENITIS,
• the average age of the Akitas,
• keeping of the Akitas, and other important information.

About feeding he told me (in shortened version):
The Akitas should be fed with rice, vegetables, and little meat.
The meat must not be fat.
Too much fat can cause skin diseases.

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My first visit to Japan

In 1996, Mr Kuroki invited me to come to Japan for a week in order to

• visit an Akita dogshow and several breeders,
• buy a male Akita and go sightseeing in Tokyo.

The dogshow we had decided for was scheduled for 8 December 1996 and was originally planned as an Akita dogshow in the prefecture of Tokyo.
As about 20 foreigners had announced their participation as spectators; the JKC had called this dogshow
„JKC Akita National Speciality Show„.
Mr Kuroki was the organizer of this show,
but unfortunately he died two weeks before it started.
I got the news of his death only upon my arrival at Tokyo-Narita Airport from his eldest daughter and was profoundly shocked.
She took me from the airport to her parents’ home in Tokyo where I was cordially welcomed by Mrs Kuroki, who had already visited me in Nuremberg years before.
In spite of our deep grief for Mr Kuroki we visited together the Akita National
Speciality Show and several breeders in the vicinity of Tokyo.

Besides, at the Kurokis’ I had the opportunity to be introduced to several Akita breeders and to the successor of Mr Kuroki,

Mr Jitaro NAKAGAWA.

Through Mr Nakagawa I could import my excellent Akitas DAIRYU, SAKURA, and SEIOU.

Comment on Mr Kuroki:
Up to now, Mr Kuroki was the only Japanese breeder who – in the interests of the Akitas - gave us open and truthful information about this dog breed.

Therefore we should be grateful to him even still now.

On 9 September 1996, the first international conference on the Akita Inu was held in the Royal Park Hotel in Tokyo.
Participants of this conference were not only the representatives of Japanese Akita societies, but also delegates from Europe, the USA, Central and South America, and Australia (in all from 13 countries).
They discussed about Japanese and American Akitas.
Next come photos from the dogshow and of the Kuroki family and their friends..

Mr. Shinya Kuroki, director of the Akita department in the JKC

Judges

Mr. Kariabus speech in memorial of Mr. Kuroki.

Mr. Kariabus speech in memorial of Mr. Kuroki.

left Raspe, right Mrs. Nakagawa

Champion male shoe number 1 owner Naomase Hirose position 2

brindle male number 2 owner Naomase Hirose position 3

Akita bitches number 112 owner Naomase Hirose position 1 number 119 owner Kambe posiiton 2 number 117 position 3 number 116 position 4

2 best bitches of the show left owner Kambe position 2, right owner Hirose position 1

best males of the show

male show number. 64 position 2

male Tora show-number 83 position 1

best bitch and best male of show

with family Kuroki

Mrs. and Mr. Nakagawa, Noriko Kuroki, Mrs. Kuroki, Mr. Hirose, Mrs. Raspe, Mr. Dirks.

left to right: Mr Nakagawa, Mrs. Raspe, Mr. Hirose

left to right: Mrs Raspe with Mrs Kuroki at the Hachiko – statue

farewell party in the house of family Kuroki

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JUDGING the Akita
By SHINYA KUROKI
Proportion of examination rate

Character	15%
Head	20%
Neck	5%
Body	15%
Front and Back	20%
Tail	5%
Quaility of hair and color of hair	10%
Walk	10%
	100%
Remark: 100 % = perfect Akita

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FUJI’S first litter

When Mr Kuroki had learned from me that the Akita Club e.V. did not even grant me an exceptional approval for a litter for my Japan-imported champion bitch FUJI because of HD=C1 he wrote me I should sell him my bitch for one litter and then let her be covered by my male DAI (HD=A) because

„we Japanase are allowed to own dogs abroad, to breed with them and to receive pedigrees for the puppies from the JKC.“:

As I absolutely wanted to have a litter from my champion Akitas FUJI and DAI and as Mr Kuroki as the head of the Akita section of the JKC had to know what was allowed or not by the FCI I sold him FUJI and let her be covered by my male DAI.

On 5 March 1994, 2/2 red puppies were born; through Mr Kuroki I also got pedigrees for them from JKC.

I kept all four puppies for me and took tremendous pleasure in my Akita familiy of six.

Later, the puppies were X-rayed for hip dysplasia; all of them were free of HD.

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Coat of the Akitas

Texture of the Hair according to the F.C.I. Standard

Guard hair harsh and straight, undercoat soft and thick; somewhat longer at the withers and the croup; at the tail the hair should be longest.

Colour

Red-dun-coloured, sesame (red-dun-coloured hair with black tips), brindle and white.
All colours mentioned – except white - must show „Urashiro“.Urashiro means whitish hair at the sides of the muzzle and on the cheeks, at the under-side of jaw, neck, chest, body and tail as well as the inside of the legs.

In order to achieve a good coat one should pay attention to:

• COLOUR BREEDING (see Mr Kuroki’s lectures under INFO),
• nutrition,
• posture,
• selection of breeding partner,
• and other factors from case to case.

Losing hair differs from dog to dog with the Akitas.
It depends on several factors, too..
Generally an Akita loses its hair twice a year.
The undercoat can be shed in 1-2 weeks or even in a month.
When all the undercoat has been lost part of the stock hair is shed, too.
The shedding of the undercoat generally proceeds from back to front.
The brindled Akita should possess the harshest and longest stock hair, followed by the red, the sesame and – last – the white Akita.

A statement about the quality of the coat of an Akita can be made only when the undercoat as well as the stock hair have been regenerated in their completeness.

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SKETCHES for judgment an AKITA
From SHINYA KUROKI

• General Appearance
  • Parts of the body
  • Skeleton
• Head
  • Muzzle
  • Bite
  • Eyes
  • Ears
• Back
• Angel of Forequarters and Hindquarters
  • Forequarters
  • Hindquarters
• Chest
• Front of the dog
• Back of the dog
• Tail

General Appearance
Large-sized dog, sturdily built, well balanced and with much substance; secondary sex characteristics strongly marked, with high nobility and dignity in modesty; constitution tough.

Important proportions
The ratio of height at withers to length of body (from the point of the shoulders to the point of the buttok) is 10:11, but the body is slightly longer in bitches than dogs.

Behaviour and temperament
The temperament is composed, faithful, docile and receptive.

Parts of the body of Akita

Skeleton

Head

Oranial Region

Skull:
The size is in proportion to the body. The forehead is broad, with distinct furrow. No wrinkle.

Stop:
Defined.

Facial Region

Nose:
Large and black. Slight and diffuse lack of pigment accepted in withe dogs only, but black is always preferred.

Muzzle:
Moderatly long and strong with broad base, tapering but not pointed. Nasal bridge straight.

Jaws/ Teeths :
Teeth strong with scissor bite.

Lips:
Tight.

Cheeks:
Moderately developed

Eyes:
Relatively small, almost triangular in shape due to the rising of the outer eye corner, set moderately apart, dark brown: the darker, the better.

Ears:
Relatively small, thick,triangular, slightly rounded at tips, set moderately apart, pricked and inclining forward.

Neck:
Thick and muscular, without dewlap, in balance with head.

Muzzle

Bite

Eyes

Ears

Back

Level and strong.

Angle of Forequarters and Hindquarters

Extremeties:

Forequarters:

Shoulder:
Moderately sloping and developed

Ellbows:
Tight

Forearms:
Straight and heavy-boned

Hindquarters:
Well developed, strong and moderately angulated.

Feet:
Thick, round, arched and tight

Gait:
Resilient and powerful movement

Forequarters

Hindquarters

Chest

Chest:
Deep, forechest well developed, ribs moderately well sprung

Belly:
Well drawn up

Loin:
Broad and muscular

Front of the dog

Back of the dog

Tail
Set on high, thick, carried vigorously curled over back; the tip nearly reaching hocks when let down.

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Application for approval for breeding with my bitch „FUJIHIME OF BANBASOW, born on 28 July 1991, and Experiences with dog clubs

My Akita bitch FUJI is descended from excellent Japanese Akitas. Her ancestors were owned by Messrs. KAWAKAMI, KOMBE, KUROKI and TOKUMASU in Japan as well as by Mr MEITOKI in Taiwan.
According to Mr Kuroki’s words, in the age of two she was the most beautiful Akita bitch of Europe; she received several CACIBs and the title of European winner with BOB.
Therefore I wished to breed with this bitch. I let her X-ray for hip dysplasia and determine her degree by the Akita Club e.V.
The result was: HD=C1.
Because at that time in the Akita Club it was allowed to breed with HD=A or HD=B only, and I, however, was also a member of DCNH where one was allowed to produce a test litter with HD=C, I asked the then chief breeding officer of DCNH about the possibility of breeding with my bitch FUJI.
The answer was:
I could breed with Fuji a litter with after-breeding inspection at the DCNH but it would be better to breed through the Akita Club because there I would be taken better care as an Akita owner.
Admittedly, this was against the DCNH’s own interests but it should serve the interests of the Akitas.
As a member of the Japanese Akita societies like JKC and Akiho, I was optimally informed by their club magazines, books and videos, and personally taken care by Mr Kuroki

In Germany at that time there was the mixed Akita type only, and in the clubs they did not know anything about the Japanese Akita.

On 03 November 1993 I made an application with the Akita Club for an exceptional approval for breeding with my bitch FUJIHIME OF BANBASOW for one litter.
My application was turned down by the managing committee of the Akita Club.
Reasons
Apart from my bitch, there was another bitch from Japan HD=A2, and she was approved for breeding.

At that time there were already 3 Akita bitches imported from Japan in Germany, namly
1. Taki, a brindle Akita bitch, world winner 1991 but castrated,
2. Teru of Nichinansow, Owner.: Erwin Beier. This bitch had HD=A and was covered by my dog SHINO OF HACHIOJI TADA (HD=A) but remained empty, and
3. my bitch FUJIHIME OF BANBASOW, European winner 1993, BOB, with HD=C1 .

Comment.
At that time the Akita Club had no interest to support the breeding with Japanese Akitas. Anyway, one could make a fast buck with the existing mixed Akitas, without having to invest much money in expensive imports from Japan.

As I was an owner of Akitas, not of mixed Akitas, I had no business in a Club that breeded with mixed Akitas
Therefore I cancelled my membership at the end of 1994.

Other reasons:

• The refusal of an exceptional approval of a litter for my excellent bitch FUJI, and
• the fact that the complete managing committee of the AC breeded repeatedly with my former male FUJIOH OF SAGAMI IMAI (AKA 1) which in the Netherlands had been determined HD=C.
  
  The managing committee of the Akita Club never forgave me my leaving the club and my comments about the reasons why I left.

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AKITA bitch FUJI - Received from Mr Kuroki on 14 January 1992

Munich 1993, in front of the Hofbräuhaus, Ms Raspe with the Kuroki family, the Dr. Schaarschmitt family, and a Japanese lady

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AKITA MEETING in Hamm on 16 June 1991

Representing JKC the following gentlemen were present:
Mr Kariyabu, president of JKC,
Mr Kamisato, spokesman of JKC and member of the FCI standards committee, and
Mr Kuroki, head of the Akita section in JKC.

Mr Kariyabu informed the assembled audience that the Akita standard had been changed during the Dortmund session of the FCI standard committee.

He called upon the managing committee of the Akita Club and all Akita owners that were present to breed only the Japanese Akita type from now on.
Although the managing committee of the Akita Club knew that this club, being a member society of the FCI, is obliged to observe the standard that was fixed by the Akitas’ country of origin (JAPAN) a member of the committee wrote the following in the club magazine 3/1991:
„Anyway, I’ll continue to breed the "mixed type", as I’ve always done, and I’ll always be happy about every off-spring that can satisfy me concerning stature and character – regardless of whether it weighs 40 or 50 kg, has a height of 63 or 70 cm, and what colour it is.“
This was against the interests of the Akita breeding in Germany, and inspired the Akita breeders in this country to continue to breed the mixed type.

On 16 July 1992, the new FCI Akita standard was translated into German by Dr.I.-M.Paschoud.
I received the standard from the FCI in early September, and could present it to the executive committee of the Akita Club at the club’s annual general meeting.

In Germany, little has changed in Akita breeding even after the modification of the standard.
The same committee member as mentioned above informed in the club magazine in September 1996 in a very astonished way:
„ At present, in the Akita Club there are only 2 Japanese breeding males and 5 breeding females that have exclusively Japanese Akitas as ancestors in their pedigrees.

In Germany, we have almost 700 mixed types.“

Four years later, however, the same committee member said in MILANO before the member meeting of the World Union of Akita Clubs (RAMS/RASPEL and I were present as we are members of the JKC) the following:
„ Since 1991 we, the Akita Club of Germany, have bred the Japanese Akita only, and therefore do not have adjustment problems in Akita breeding.“
The truth is that all 700 mixed Akitas had been made to Japanese Akitas overnight, and that without any inspection of the dogs.
COMMENT: The managing committee of the Akita Club had had the chance to adjust the German Akita breeding with help from Mr Kuroki but they did not use it.

RESULT: Therefore for many years the best Akitas have been bred in Italy, France, and other countries where there are no Akita clubs but where the breeders import and breed the Japanese Akita on their own initiative and guided by Japanese breeders.

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Visit of Mr Shinya Kuroki to Nuremberg in April 1990

Lecture on the Akita and the forthcoming change of its standard
In order to prepare the foreign Akita owners for the forthcoming change of the breeding standard Mr. Kuroki passed a third of the year abroad. He paid most of his travel expenses himself, also his travel to Nuremberg where at that time I organized and financed a lecture on the Akita for DCNH.
The audience came from the Deutscher Club für Nordische Hunde (DCNH) as well as from the Akita Club e.V.
About the Akita Inu, Shiba Inu, Hokkaido Ken and Kishu Inu Mr Kuroki said the following:
Originally, these four breeds had been trained and used as hunting-dogs in Japan. However, all four are independent breeds and have no common ancestors..
They should have a coat of one colour and not be spotted .
The coat of these breeds should be as follows:
The overcoat must have a certain length and also be very firm.
The undercoat should be quite thick and so contribute to the overcoat standing up vertically.
Mr Kuroki said that in Germany he had seen many dogs of these breeds with very short overcoat, and that this is no good. The overcoat should be longer. The Nordic dogs should be able to protect themselves against the cold with their coat.
However, there are also dogs whose coat is too long and therefore does not stand up vertically when it’s raining. This is no good, too.
Concerning the colour of the Akitas Mr Kuroki repeated his statements from the lecture he had given for the Akita Club e.V in 1989.
Besides he said that in Japan the Akita are bred in three colours:

60% of the Akitas are red,
30% brindle, and
10% white.

The red Akita is most popular in Japan, and therefore represented at dog-shows in largest numbers.
The brindle Akita is necessary, however, for obtaining a strong and splendid coat in Akita breeding
Therefore 30% of the Akitas are brindle.
The white Akitas are not particularly popular in Japan.
Besides there are some sesame Akitas. They have a short coat, and their features are a little coarse. One does not breed with them.
The breast and the insides of the forelegs of the Akitas should be white.
This is very important with red Akitas.
With brindle Akitas they should be a little brighter. With brindle Akitas a white mask is ideal; however, it is not necessary.
With red or brindle Akitas a white scarf or spots around the neck are permitted. This is valid nowadays, too (see added topical photographs).
Male ATAGO HOJU Go born 06 December 2001 won first prize at JKC dogshow.
Judge Ms Sonoe Kuroki and Mr Nakagawa and
brindle male. Picture taken in spring of 2003.

Hight and weight of the Akitas
Males with 64-70 cm height 30-40 kg weight
Females 58-64 cm height 20-30 kg weight

How the Akitas are fed in Japan
In Japan they feed the puppies and young dogs with canned food, and the grown-up dogs with dried food.
The Akita should get low-fat food and less meat in summer..
Summer food should consist of corn, vegetables, curd cheese and little meat. Winter food may have more meat in it. One can add more meat and give more food in winter. The main feeding is best done in the morning; for cleaning the teeth, one gives a small bite in the evening.
Comment:
When fed with too much meat, Akitas can possibly develop rashes and eczemas, and may even lose their complete undercoat.
Too fat food also causes skin diseases.
Besides, the Akitas should not be too fat.
The Akita doesn’t need a layer of fat under the skin (as e.g. the boxer does). With the Akitas, a layer of fat under the skin causes loss of hair and skin diseases. The boxer, however, needs a layer of fat under its skin for protection as its coat is very short.
Besides, the Akitas should not be kept in heated rooms.
In Japan, they keep the Akitas out of doors, and in the warmer zones of Japan, the Akitas are brought into the north, the cold region, for two to three months before dogshows, in order to enhance the coat.

Photographs from Mr Kuroki’s lecture

Visit of Mr Shinya Kuroki to Nuremberg in April 1990

"ATAGO HOJU", red Akita male with white scarf

brindle Akita male with white scarf

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A true story about the Akita male SHOKYO GO (born on 17 September 1987)

In April 1990 Mr. Kuroki was staying with me in Nuremberg in order to give his lecture to the DCNH and to visit a CACIB dogshow in Nuremberg.
Suddenly his wife called from Tokyo and informed him he should ring up a friend in Taiwan immediately because something terrible had happened.

Mr. Kuroki called his friend without delay and learned that in the friend’s absence someone had gained entry to his house using an excavator, and stolen three valuable Akitas

After that Mr. Kuroki told me the following story:
In 1989 he went to an Akiho dogshow with his Taiwanese friend. There he took such a fancy to the male SHOKYO GO that he wanted to buy him at any price. But there was a difficulty – the owner did not want to sell the dog. Instead he offered to sell the dog’s brother, EKOUMARU.

The Taiwanese gentleman, a rich man, did not let himself be turned down so easily, and offered more and more. When he offered 10.000.000 YEN (at that time ca. 120.000 DM), the owner parted from his fine male and sold him to the Taiwanese man.

The end of the story:
Money makes the world go round.
The three stolen Akitas were recovered and brought back to their owner.

Photographs of the Akita brothers SHOKYO GO (always won the first prize at dogshows) and EKOUMARU:

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FCI-approved hip dysplasia classification in Europe

According to the FCI, the classification of the hip dysplasia degrees that is important for us is absolutely the same in the Netherlands, Germany and Finland in the grades "free of hip dysplasia", "suspected hip dysplasia" and "mild hip dysplasia".

Date: 1989/90

The male FUJIOH of SAGAMI IMAI had been hip X-rayed in the Netherlands in the age of one year, and his hip dysplasia degree was entered into the official stud book and his pedigree.
Result: Mild hip dysplasia (in Dutch: "lichtpositiv 3", i.e. mildly positive 3)=hip dysplasia±.

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Experience with hip dysplasia examinations in the Akita Club e.V.

On 23 November 1989 my bitch FUJIHIME OF KAMISAKUSOW (HANA) was hip X-rayed, and her hip dysplasia degree was determined by the hip X-ray examination authority of the Akita Club.
In December 1989 I learned from the office of the Akita Club that my bitch Hana had "moderate hip dysplasia", and that in the meantime my former male FUJIOH OF SAGAMI IMAI (AKA 1) had been hip X-rayed in the Netherlands and had "mild hip dysplasia".

The shock came for me when I read in the 1/1990 issue of the member forum of the Akita Club e.V. that:
- the male FUJIOH OF SAGAMI IMAI was free of hip dysplasia, and that
- the male ZOGE Yoshsan was free of hip dysplasia, too.

When I phoned the management of the Akita Club for that reason, and asked for an explanation of the sudden disappearance of the hip dysplasia of these two males, I was told:
"We need breeding males from abroad in our Club, and these foreign males must be free of hip dysplasia. Therefore both these males have been X-rayed again in Germany on behalf of the Akita Club and are now free of hip dysplasia."

I never believed in this absence of hip dysplasia, and - lo and behold! – later, but not too late, I got my hands on the pedigrees of offspring of these males.
These pedigrees confirmed my suspicion that these males had been filed "with mild dysplasia" in the Netherlands, and that these same males were considered to be breeding males free of hip dysplasia in Germany. All offspring of the male FUJIOH OF SAGAMI IMAI had the remark "father has mild hip dysplasia" in their pedigrees in the Netherlands.

JUST THE SAME with the offspring of the male ZOGE YOSHSAN.

In response to my written inquiry to the Dutch Akita-Club I received the written information that both males FUJIOH OF SAGAMI IMAI and ZOGE YOSHSAN had been X-rayed for hip dysplasia after their twelfth month as it had been stipulated in the Netherlands at that time and that both "had MILD hip dysplasia" and that this remark had been entered in their pedigrees.

Besides only the Dutch authorities were competent to perform a hip X-ray examination on their Dutch males.

Comment: Akita Club e.V. Deutschland was not authorized to perform a new hip X-ray examination on Akitas from the Netherlands that had been judged having „mild hip dysplasia“ by an FCI-approved hip X-ray examination authority in the Netherlands, in order to bring them into the German breeding as breeding males free of hip dysplasia.

Because of poor-quality heredity of the male FUJIOH OF SAGAMI IMAI, DCNH later banned him from breeding.

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Short information from Japan March 2004

JKC

Akita speciality show Osaka 29.02.2004. Judge Mr. Jitaro Nakagawa.
Further informations in News from Japan.

AKIHO

President elected: Mr. Nobaru Sugara

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Akita male DAI present from Mr. Kuroki 1989

1991 DAI at the meadow

1992 DAI with sommercoat

1993 DAI in the garden

1993 DAI head

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Visit of Mr. Shinya Kuroki to Nuremberg 1989

About Mr. Kuroki
Mr. Kuroki was chairman of the Akita Section of JKC,
chairman of the organisation of judges, chairman of the East Saitama Club and general judge.
After a judging in the vicinity of Paris in 1989, he came to Nuremberg for a three-day visit.
Here I organized a meeting with the Akita Club e.V.

In a lecture that lasted 6 hours Mr. Kuroki answered all questions that were asked by functionaries and members of the Akita Club.
First of all he pointed out that the FCI Akita standard would change, and that in future only the Akitas bred in Japan would be permitted to be called by the name of Akita
He tried to convince the functionaries and members of the Akita Club therefore to import Akitas from Japan as soon as possible in order to breed the Japanese Akitas like the Italians and French do.
At that time there were only 5 Akitas imported from Japan in the Akita Club (owners: Henning, Raspe, Schenkl), the rest were mixed Akitas.

Answering a question put by the chairperson of the Akita Club, Mr. Kuroki informed us that there is no breeding regulation and breeding control in Japan .It’s up to the individual breeder to breed a fine Akita.

About the hair length of the Akitas Mr. Kuroki said the following:
The guard hair should be relatively long and stand up from the body.
The hairs of the tail should be long and harsh, too.

About colour breeding Mr. Kuroki gave the following explanations:
In Japan breeding is done with red, brindle and white Akitas.
IN THIS ONE SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING POINTS:
The mating of two red Akitas is considered to be ideal. In this, however, the dog should. always have a very strong pigmentation (dark red). The bitch may be of a lighter red.
One should mate „red with red“; however, all 4 – 5 generations one should mate the red bitches with a dark-brindle dog. Otherwise the coat of the later offspring will become too short.
By „freshening up“ the bloodline with brindle the coat becomes harsher and longer again.

Mating of red and white.
This mating is not ideal. There could be born puppies with white spots on the ears.
When mating a white bitch with a red dog the dog must have a strong red pigmentation in order to enable breeding with a white bitch at all.

Mating of red and brindle.
Results in good red, sometimes good brindle and sometimes good red-brindle Akitas.
However, from time to time one has to accept a toll of this mating.

Mating of brindle and brindle.
Results in strongly brindle. However, the character of the puppy is weakened by such a mating. Timid Akitas are born. This is not good for an Akita.

Mating of brindle and white.
In this case the dog must be dark-brindle, the bitch white. Then good puppies with a purely white coat and a dark nose may be born.

Mating white and white.
Results in sickly Akitas with a bad coat.

Note: About the Japanese breeding males Mr. Kuroki said:
The breeding males must have a dark pigmentation in red or in brindle. In Japan, white males are not used as breeding dogs
Light-brindle or light-red males should likewise not be used for breeding.

Mr. Kuroki with Mrs. Keiko Zeilinger-Inaba (interpreter)

Mrs. Henning with the imported male Takara Tenryogu

Group photograph with imported Akitas from Japan

Mr. Kuroki with his imported dogs TAKI and AKA 2

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Short information from Japan February 2004

JKC

Head of the Akita Section in JKC:

• until 1996 Mr. SHINYA KUROKI
• from 1996 to 2003 Mr. JITARO NAKAGAWA
• from 2003 Mr. OKUGAWA KIICHI

AKIHO

The election of the new executive committee of AKIHO is due in March 2004.

Regulation for dog shows in the Akiho Society:
Spring dog shows: take place from February until the end of May.
Autumn dog shows: from September until the beginning of December.
About 60 dog shows take place in the Akiho Branch Societies during the year.
The national dog show takes place on the first weekend in May.

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My first Akitas from Japan 1988

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Photos of my Akitas

AKA 1 in the garden

HANA left, AKA 1 right

HANA on the sofa

AKA 2 in the room

AKA 2 in the garden

AKA 2 in the meadow

AKA 2 with HANA at the photographer's

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