Kawakami Inu

The Kawakami Inu (Japanese: 川上犬) is a small, Japanese dog breed originating in Kawakami Village, Minamisaku District, Nagano Prefecture. It is considered to be a type of Shiba Inu and is designated as a natural monument of Nagano Prefecture.
The legend of the Kawakami Inu's origin tells of how hunters tamed the wild wolves of the Chichibu Mountains, it is said that all Kawakami Inu have the blood of the Japanese Wolf running through them.
==History==
In the Edo and Meiji periods, the harsh climate and mountainous terrain of Kawakami Village made it unsuitable for agriculture. Because of this, they needed a hunting dog that could easily hunt in rocky areas with cliffs. To hunt antelopes, the dogs needed equal or greater agility. To hunt in rocky areas, the dogs needed strong paws that would allow them to traverse these areas without harming themselves. These are traits the Kawakami Inu was bred for. 
In 1924, during the Taisho period, around 70 Kawakami dogs were living in Kawakami Village. That year the village was visited by the head of the Ministry of Home Affairs, who was visiting to see the Kawakami Inu, after a decline of purebred Japanese dog breeds. This visit led to the Kawakami Inu being declared as Natural Monument. After the declaration, preservation activities for the Kawakami Inu increased, and a preservation society was formed.
In the Showa period, because of the opening of the Koumi Line and development of a thriving forestry industry, Kawakami village no longer relied on hunting for survival. Because of this, many people stopped hunting and no longer needed hunting dogs. Adding to this, many people were now keeping western dogs, these factors made the purebred kawakami inu go into decline.
During WW2 the owners of purebred Kawakami Inu, concerned about their dogs being culled, took their dogs to the mountains of Yatsugatake. Their purebred Kawakami Inu were sold to the people living there, who restarted the efforts to restore the breed. 
The war pushed many people into poverty, after the war had ended they had to pay a lot of money to buy back their dogs. Due to the declining number of Kawakami dogs. In 1965, due to crossbreeding, their status as a natural monument was revoked.
In the years after 1975, the villagers managed to increase the population of Kawakami Inu, to 30 in Kawakami Village, and to 200-300 in the rest of Japan. The momentum for protecting the breed remained high in the village, because of the many roadblocks the dogs have faced, a system for protecting the native dog of Kawakami was implemented, including allowing elementary school students to help raise the dogs.
Due to the efforts of the villagers and the preservation society, the Kawakami Inu was redesignated as a Natural Monument in 1983.
In the year of the dog, 2006, the Kawakami Inu was chosen as the representative for the 'exhibition of the Chinese zodiac' at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, and three 3 month old puppies were exhibited. The Kawakami Inu was chosen due to its history of being killed during the war, like the other animals exhibited at Ueno Zoo.
Category:Dog breeds
Category:Dog breeds originating in Japan
Category:Mammals of Japan