Shiba Inu

An adult Shiba Inu

The Shiba Inu (柴犬, shiba inu or shiba ken?) is the smallest of the six original and distinct Japanese breeds of dog.

A small, agile dog that copes well with mountainous terrain, the Shiba Inu was originally bred for hunting. It is similar in appearance to the Akita, though much smaller in stature. The Shiba Inu nearly became extinct in the latter phase of World War II, with all subsequent dogs bred from only three surviving bloodlines known as the San'in, Mino, and Shinshu.

The name Shiba Inu is most commonly believed to be referring to its size, with shiba meaning "small" and inu simply meaning "dog". The word shiba, however, can also refer to a type of red shrub. This leads some to believe that the Shiba was named with this in mind, either because the dogs were used to hunt in wild shrubs, or because the most common colour of the Shiba Inu is a red colour similar to that of the shrubs. Because of this Shiba Inu is sometimes translated as "Little Brushwood Dog"

References

• Miriam Clews (Ed.). The Japanese Shiba Inu: A detailed study of the Shiba.