American Quarter Horse and the Tosa-Ken at StoneWall

History of the Tosa-Ken

For centuries, dogs have been bred for wresling in Japan. The Tosa-Ken in particular, has been a revered breed for over 900 years. The wresling dog originally found in the Tosa district of Japan (on the island of Shikoku in the Kochi Prefecture) is generally believed to have been the Nihon Inu, a medium sized dog bred to hunt wild boar. With the ending of Japanese isolation under the Tokugawa government, Japanese breeders began to systematically enhanced the breed with Western strains. As the influence of Western visitors increased , the Tosa-Ken was cross-bred with Bulldogs, Mastiffs, Bloodhounds, Great Danes, St. Bernard's, Bull Terriers, and Pointers. Which were comparatively much larger than the medium-sized Japanese Tosa-Ken. By the end of the Meiji era (1913) the breed had been perfected. This breed was named the Tosa-Inu, Tosa-Token, Tosa-Ken after the region in which it was developed. 

The Tosa-Ken would not see the end of there development yet. During World War II the Tosa-Ken population would almost become extinct. At that time only 10 Tosas were remaining. Dedicated breeders took the Tosas into hiding giving them the care and essential food to survive. They had to be in hiding due to the food shortage in Japan. If the Tosas owners were caught it was punishable by death. The war had taken its toll on the nation of Japan as a whole. The rebuilding process begin, only through the shear dedication of the Japanese and there love of this magnificent breed. 

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