Originating from the mountains of northern Japan, the Akita has a short double coat similar to that of many other northern spitz breeds. The breed traces its roots to the Matagi Inu, a chūgata ken historically used by the Matagi—traditional hunters of the Tōhoku region—for tracking and subduing large game such as tsukinowaguma, inoshishi and kamoshika in snow-covered mountain terrain.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wc018 (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.