Akita Images

Shiro the white Akita (Photo: @shiro_stories / Instagram)

By helloBARK!
Updated on 11 August 2021

Akita are an ancient Japanese dog breed.

These beautiful Spitz dogs originated in Asia but they’re now popular throughout the world.

There are two varieties of Akita: the Japanese Akita and the American Akita.

You can tell the two apart due to their differences in appearance, with the Japanese Akita more fox-like and the American Akita more bear-like.

However, it’s easy to be confused if you go online to research the two different types of Akita.

This article will highlight the differences and similarities between the American Akita and the Japanese Akita through images.

With the introduction over, let’s take a closer look at the Akita breed.

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What is an Akita?

Akita are an ancient Asian breed that were initially bred to hunt large game such as deer, wild boar and the Yoze bear.

These large dogs were thought to have first appeared in Japan around the 17th century when an exiled nobleman bred the early Akita dogs.

However, these powerful canines soon climbed Japan’s social ladder and Akitas became popular with the country’s nobility.

Akita have a huge symbolic meaning in Japan and a newborn child is often presented with an Akita figurine to denote a happy and healthy life.

The arrival of western breeds in the 19th and 20th century led to some Akitas being crossed with canines such as German Shepherds.

As a result, a renewed effort was made to protect the Akita bloodline. However, World War II left these dogs on the brink of extinction.

An American lady named Helen Keller brought the first Akitas to the USA in 1937 after she was gifted two members of the breed by the Japanese government. Two years later, the AKC established a breed standard for these large dogs.

There was a separation between the Japanese Akita (Akita Inu) and the American Akita (Akita) in the second half of the 20th century.

Japanese Akita vs American Akita

Japanese Akitas (Akita Inu) were purebred Akita in Japan. They’ve got smaller frames than American Akitas (Akitas). Viewed as a Japanese work of art, they’ve got fox-like features.

The American Akita were bred to be guard dogs with a bear-like complexion. They’ve got more muscular frames than the Japanese Akita.

According to Wikipedia, American service members were typically more impressed with the larger more bear-like fighting Akita or German Shepherd type than they were with the smaller framed and fox-like Akita-Inu; the types of dogs they brought back with them to the US reflected this sentiment.

The American Kennel Club states that an Akita can come in any color. However, the most common are Pinto, Brindle, Solid white with a mask on the face.

The Japanese Akita have a more limited spectrum. These Akita Inu are orange, red or brindle.