The Kishu (紀州犬, Kishū-Ken), sometimes called Kishu Inu or Kishu dog, is a Japanese breed of dog. It is descended from ancient medium-sized breeds and named after the Kishu region, now Mie Prefecture and Wakayama Prefecture. The popularity of a primarily white line of Kishu Ken spread the gene responsible for white through the genepool and turned the Kishu Ken into the mostly-white breed it is today..