Nihon Ken Glossary

Whether you're new to the breed or been an owner for years, you will probably hear a number of Japanese terms thrown about when describing the Akita and other native breeds of Japan. For a lot of English speakers the new vocabulary can seem daunting. Very often the word is used in conversation with little or no explanation given or it appears in writing without a pronunciation guide. We've compiled a glossary of common terms with their definition, kanji, romanized spelling, and pronunciation.

Coat Colors

赤 aka 🔊 — red

Red dogs have a burnt-orange to golden-yellow solid coat color. Red is one of the three colors of the Japanese Akita. The genetics term for this color is clear sable.

胡麻 goma 🔊 — sesame

Sesame dogs have black banded hairs all over the body on top of their base coat color. Sesame no longer exists in the Japanese Akita, but can be found in other native breeds of Japan. The genetics term for this color is agouti.

赤胡麻 akagoma

🔊 — red sesame
Sesame dogs with predominantly red undercoat.

黒胡麻 kurogoma

🔊 — black sesame
Sesame dogs with predominantly black/grey undercoat.

白胡麻 shirogoma

🔊 — white sesame
Sesame dogs with predominantly cream/yellow undercoat.

黒 kuro 🔊 — black (black and tan)

Black and tan dogs have black coat with red or white points on the legs and face. Japanese Akita do not have black and tan, but some of the other native breeds do. The genetics term for this color is tan points.

白 shiro 🔊 — white

White dogs have a white to cream base coat color. White is one of the three colors of Japanese the Akita. The genetics term for this color is recessive yellow with low intensity.

虎 tora 🔊 — tiger (brindle)

Brindle dogs have have striped coats with black, grey, red, and white hairs. Brindle is one of the three colors of the Japanese Akita. The genetics term for this color is brindle.

赤虎 akatora

🔊 — red tiger (red brindle)
Brindle dogs with predominantly red stripes.

中虎 chuutora

🔊 — middle tiger (brindle)
Brindle dogs with equal parts red and black stripes.

黒虎 kurotora

🔊 — black tiger (black brindle)
Brindle dogs with predominantly black stripes.

霜降り虎 shimofuritora

🔊 — salt and pepper tiger (silver brindle)
Brindle dogs with predominantly grey stripes.

白虎 shirotora

🔊 — white tiger (white brindle)
Brindle dogs with predominantly cream/yellow stripes.

有色 yuushoku 🔊 — colored

Colored dogs are red, brindle, sesame or black and tan - anything other than white. This term is most commonly used to refer to non-white Kishu Ken, one of the medium Japanese breeds.

Patterns and Markings

斑 buchi 🔊 — freckles: Freckles are small colored spots on the white areas of a dog's coat. Black freckles are common on the legs of brindle Japanese Akita, but red freckles are usually hidden by urajiro (below). The genetics term for this pattern is ticking.
鉢割れ hachiware 🔊 — crown divided (split face): Split face describes a white blaze that extends up the forehead and past the ears, dividing the dog's face into two colored parts. These markings are related to roppaku (below).
鼻欠け hanakake 🔊 — nose deficiency (butterfly nose): Butterfly nose describes a dog with bright pink spots on its nose leather. The patches are randomly located and may be a tiny spot or almost the entire nose. It may take a puppy up to six months old for its nose to fill in with black, but if spots remain as an adult it is a fault. These markings are related to pinto (below).
ピント pinto 🔊 — pinto: Pinto describes a dog with excessive white markings, including but not limited to a full white collar, white on the shoulders or body, and white on the outside of the back legs. Like irish spotting, pinto markings are not symmetrical and will mask any base coat color. The genetics term for this pattern is piebald.
六白 roppaku 🔊 — six white: Six white describes a dog with four white socks, a white blaze on the face, and white tail tip. These markings differ from urajiro (below) in that the white can mask black parts of the dog's coat, it does not have to be symmetrical, and it has hard edges between the white and colored areas. The genetics term for this pattern is irish spotting.
差し毛 sashige 🔊 — different hairs (dirty red): Dirty red describes a red dog with black hairs or black tipped hairs mixed into its base coat color. These dogs may have a full saddle or resemble a sesame dog but lack two distinctive traits of sesame: spectacles around the eyes and black hairs on the underside (urajiro) areas of the dog. The genetics term for this pattern is shaded sable.
裏白 urajiro 🔊 — white underside: Urajiro describes a dog with dark coat on top of the body and white undersides. This pattern is symmetrical with soft gradation from white to red hairs. Urajiro does not affect the black hairs on a brindle or sesame dog and is not visible on a white dog. All of the native breeds of Japan express urajiro. The genetics term for this pattern is urajiro or countershading.

Coat Types

モク moku 🔊 — shaggy (long hair): A mimetic word for long hair. It is short for mukumuku, which is the equivalent to calling a dog fluff fluff. Moku or muku are more commonly used than nagamou (below).
長毛 nagamou 🔊 — long hair: Long coated dogs have long, dense undercoat that is equal or greater length than guard hairs are normally. This coat is soft and wavy, matting easily and attracting burrs and ice. The genetics term for this trait is long coat.

Tail Types

巻き尾 makio 🔊 — curled tail

Curled tails are circular in shape and carried over the back with the tip of the tail touching or extending below the line of the back. Japanese Akita are required to have curled tails.

半巻き han-maki

🔊 — half curl
Curled tail that does not complete a full circle. May be described as a left (hidari) or right (migi) half curl.

左巻き hidari-maki

🔊 — left curl
Curled tail that rests on the left flank of the dog.

車巻き kuruma-maki

🔊 — wheel curl
Curled tail that rests upright centered on the dog's spine.

右巻き migi-maki

🔊 — right curl
Curled tail that rests on the right flank of the dog.

二重巻き nijuu-maki

🔊 — double curl
Curled tail that coils back on itself more than one full circle. May be described as a left (hidari) or right (migi) double curl.

薙刀尾 naginatao 🔊 — halberd tail (sabre tail)

Halberd tails have a slight curve and are held straight out behind the dog with the tip pointing a little upward. It is not a common trait among the native breeds of Japan.

差し尾 sashio 🔊 — pointing tail (sickle tail)

Pointing tails have a slight curve and are carried over the back with the tip of the tail pointing forward but not touching the back. Many of the medium sized breeds of Japan have pointing tails.

太刀尾 tachio 🔊 — sword tail (gay tail)

Sword tails have a slight curve and are held straight up with the tip of the tail pointing upward or a little forward. Many of the medium sized breeds of Japan have sword tails.

Temperament

敢為 kan'i 🔊 — daring: Daring dogs have spirited boldness; they are well-balanced, courageous, and self-confident. Bravery does not mean vicious or aggressive.
良性 ryousei 🔊 — good nature: Good natured dogs are loyal and faithful with a gentle disposition. It is said that Japanese dogs bond strongly to only one person.
素朴 soboku 🔊 — simplicity: Simplicity refers to natural beauty without being contrived or flashy. An artless dog is uncomplicated, modest, and sincere.

Shows and Awards

本部賞 honbushou 🔊 — headquarters award: An award recognizing the excellence of a dog issued by AKIHO headquarters. May be awarded at a branch show to denote a particularly worthy dog.
本部展 honbuten 🔊 — headquarters exhibition: AKIHO holds two headquarter shows a year in May and December. The spring show is always in Odate and the winter show changes locations each time.
一席 isseki 🔊 — first place: The highest placement in a class besides the special awards, tokuyuu and meiyoshou (below). First place dogs may also be honbushou (above).
名誉賞 meiyoshou 🔊 — honorary award: The highest award any Japanese Akita in the world can earn. It is only awarded at a headquarter show. The dog goes down in history in the Akita Inu museum and its photo put on display like a hall of fame.
成犬 seiken 🔊 — adult dog: The age category for dogs 31 months and over. Only seiken dogs may earn honbushou, tokuyuu, and meiyoshou awards. High placement in this class is prestigious.
壮犬 souken 🔊 — robust dog (young adult dog): The age category for dogs 18 to 30 months old. Eligible for number placements (first, second, third, etc) but no special awards.
立ち込み tachikomi 🔊 — standing included: The presentation of an Akita with a natural stack and leash pulled up at 45 to 90 degrees for best appearance of the head.
特優 tokuyuu 🔊 — especially superior: The highest award a Japanese Akita can earn outside of the headquarters show. It is awarded to the top dog(s) at a branch show only if the judge feels they are worthy. Tokuyuu is superior to first place, and the tokuyuu winner is invited to enter at the headquarters show.
若犬 wakainu 🔊 — young dog: The age category for dogs 11 to 18 months old. Eligible for number placements (first, second, third, etc) but no special awards.
幼稚犬 youchiken 🔊 — infant dog: The age category for dogs 3 to 6 months old. No awards are given but the judge may offer critique or advice to help the dog improve as it grows.
幼犬 youken 🔊 — very young dog: The age category for dogs 7 to 10 months old. Eligible for number placements (first, second, third, etc) but no special awards.

Kaiju Kennels

Japanese Akita Inu and Hokkaido Ken Breeder in California