Often the dogs of the Matagi hunters were cited in the history of Akita and Hakkaido Inus, however very few photographs exist since photographs of early fight rings are more popular among breed historians. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note why certain strains went extinct.
So what are these dogs? Well, Matagi dogs from the Tohoku region of Japan were the forerunners of the modern Akita Inu breed. Before, these were medium-sized dogs kept by hunters tucked away in the mysterious mountains targeting rabbits, serows and bears. The dogs did not make good pets as they were often feral and left to fend for themselves in the woods until hunters called upon them. The Matagi culture believes leaving these dogs in quasi-feral state resulted in better hunting dogs.
Unfortunately many of these dogs were already in decline prior to World War II as more and more Japanese left the countryside and as progressive technology introduced to the area reduced dependency on the dogs. It also did not help the Matagi Inus were used as coat linings and for consumption during the war to prevent famines. Only German Shepherds were permitted to be kept as they were highly regarded as the perfect military dog.
It is interesting to note the reason for the divergence between the Matagi Inus and Akita Inus lied in the competitive nature between the people of the Akita Prefecture and Kōchi Prefecture within the fight rings. The Matagi dogs were crossed with Western dogs brought by Dutch and German merchants during the Edo and Meiji period to create larger and more powerful dogs. However the Akita eventually lost the title of the ultimate fighting dog to the Tosa.
However it is said there are still hermits in the northeastern mountains keeping the dogs of the Matagi. Although I wonder how much of this was proliferated by rumour mills inspired by romantic stories of Morie Sawataishi and his Akitas. Nevertheless, people still do hunt bears with Akita and Ainu [Hokkaido] Inus.
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