Draft:Sanin Shiba Inu

The Sanin Shiba Inu (Japanese: 山陰柴犬) is a type of Shiba Inu native to the San'in region of Japan. Despite being a related to the Shiba Inu, research from Gifu University has shown that the Sanin Shiba Inu is significantly different and should be considered a seperate breed.

History
The ancestors of Japanese dogs can be split into two types, the dogs that were brought by the Jomon people, and those brought by the Yayoi people.

In the 1950s research by Gifu University and Nagoya University showed that the ancestors of the Sanin Shiba Inu were dogs from Jeju Island and Jindo Island in Korea, different from the Shinshu Shiba which ancestors were traced back to dogs from Taiwan.

Showa to Meiji
The Sanin Shiba Inu comes from the Inaba Inu of Tottori Prefecture and the Sekishu Inu of Shimane Prefecture, both endangered due to the increase of western dogs. In the early Showa period, Masumi Ozaki, a former landowner in Tottori prefecture, started preservation breeding to prevent the loss of local breeds.

However, as WW2 grew more intense, the breeding projects became difficult to maintain. Due to the use of dogs for fur by the military, the number of dogs decreased from 50 to 20. In 1947, the two breeds were bred together to create the foundation stock of the Sanin Shiba Inu. The numbers were still low but the dogs were protected by the Ozaki family, who carried on the preservation activities.

Despite the end of the war, more threats to the breeds emerged in the 1950s and 60s, two outbreaks of distemper occured in Tottori prefecture, killing many dogs. In addition the ‘Great Tottori Fire’ discouraged preservation efforts even more.

In 2004 the Sanin Shiba Inu Training Association, Yurihama Town, Tottori Prefecture, was formed by Ozaki’s grandchildren.

Characteristics
The Sanin Shiba Inu is a small, red dog.

It has a gentle and obedient personality.