# Nihon Ken Preservation Strategies & Breed Specifics

> I detail the preservation strategies for Kai, Kishu, Hokkaido, and Shikoku Ken, focusing on combating the founder effect in the West and navigating the specific genetic crises facing each breed in Japan.

### Nihon Ken Landrace & Naming Conventions
The term "Nihon Ken" simply means Japanese dog and originally referred to a landrace. After World War II, the Japanese formed the Nihon Ken Hozonkai (commonly known as NIPPO) to preserve these native breeds [00:00:54].

They split the breeds using a naming convention based on their region of origin:
* **Kai Ken:** Named for Kai Prefecture (now Yamanashi).
* **Kishu Ken:** From the Kishu region.
* **Akita & Hokkaido:** Named for their respective prefectures.
* **Shikoku:** From the island of Shikoku.
* **Shiba:** This is the exception. They were given a general name because they originated from all over Japan rather than a single specific region [00:01:26].

### Kai Ken: The Founder Effect & Aigokai Splits
My preservation work started with the Kai Ken through Yamabushi Kennel. I identified a critical issue with the American population: the "founder effect." The first group of Kai Ken imported in the 90s consisted of just 11 dogs. These 11 dogs were bred to produce a population of around 1,000, meaning the entire US population were essentially "little clones" [00:06:56].

**The Size Deviation & Aigokai Origin**
We saw a shift in the breed standard in America. Because they were only shown in the UKC, breeders began selecting for dogs much bigger than they should be in Japan.
* **NIPPO vs. Aigokai:** The Kai Ken actually fits in size *between* the Shiba and the medium-sized dogs (Shikoku/Kishu). NIPPO tried to group them into the medium category.
* **Kai Ken Aigokai:** This preservation society spun off from NIPPO specifically to formalize the true size of the Kai Ken, preventing them from being forced into the medium-sized dog standard [00:07:33].

I import Japanese dogs to correct the course of the American population—bringing our type, standard, and temperament back in line with the native stock before we end up with two separate breeds like the Akita [00:08:19].

### Kishu Ken: Bottlenecks & Color Genetics
I breed Kishu Ken through Hakuzan Kennel. The situation here was more extreme than the Kai because there was effectively only one breeder in America with a very narrow view of the breed [00:02:45].

* **Availability:** Ironically, while rare here, the Kishu is one of the most popular medium-sized Nihon Ken in Japan. This makes it easier to "cherry pick" excellent dogs to introgress into the American lines [00:09:05].
* **Yushoku Import:** I imported the first "Yushoku" Kishu Ken (colored Kishu) to the US to diversify the genetics [00:03:10].

### Hokkaido Ken: Rescuing Hunting Lines
The Hokkaido Ken basically didn't exist in America. There was one gentleman in Boulder, Colorado who imported four but never bred them.

* **The Last Bear Hunting Kennel:** I found out the last true bear-hunting kennel in Hokkaido was closing shop. I imported a female named **Ginkgo** from their very last litter to ensure those working genetics didn't vanish [00:04:23].
* **Establishment:** The community then imported a brindle male named **Yeeso**. A friend (Lindsey in Washington) bred Ginkgo to Yeeso, producing the first litter in America. My current Hokkaido, **Korasi**, is from that litter [00:04:54].

### Shikoku Ken: The Inbreeding Crisis
The Shikoku is a unique anomaly where the breed is arguably doing better *outside* of Japan.
* **The Japanese Crisis:** Breeders in Japan are aging out with no young people replacing them. Worse, the selection in Japan is so heavy-handed that they inbreed extensively. It is very possible the Shikoku will disappear in Japan due to this genetic collapse [00:10:05].
* **Export as Preservation:** We are importing as many as possible to establish a "backup" population. If the breed dies in Japan, it will survive in America, Europe, and Canada [00:10:22].

### Community & The Nihon Ken Forum
I realized early on that I couldn't do this alone—I don't want to be the "5,000 pound elephant" [00:03:42].
* **Nihon Ken Forum:** I created `nihonken.org`. It actually started as the "Shikoku Dog Forum" because I had one Shikoku female who was such a crazy animal I needed to find if anyone else was experiencing that level of craziness [00:05:34].
* **Philosophy:** We actively share bloodlines and import logistics. The goal is a collaborative community to distribute the genetic load and preservation effort.

## Details

- **Category:** Interviews and media
- **Tags:** kai-ken, kishu-ken, hokkaido, shikoku, akita, shiba, west-siberian-laika, nihon-ken, preservation, breeding, import, genetics, aigokai, nippo, landrace, yamabushi, hakuzan, japan
- **Date:** 2017-05-28
- **Originally published at:** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaJ_R0yTywk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaJ_R0yTywk)

**Also read:** [All writing](https://bradanderson.org/writing?format=md) · [About Brad](https://bradanderson.org/about?format=md)

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