Hey there Ravennr- glad to see there's another Asian breed enthusiast!
There is DEFINITELY a reason you're seeing this split in color, and the reason is that for all intents and purposes, the Japanese Akita (Akita Inu), and American Akita (Great Japanese Dog, according to FCI), are seperate breeds now. While MOST countries recognize this fundamental split (including, and most especially the country of origin), the majority of American breeders have been uneasy to do so.
It's sort of a complicated situation. Much of it has to do with the fact that many old school American Akita breeders are loathe to say that they are breeding anything BUT Akitas. They take it as a great offense that people think that they are not breeding the ORIGINAL dogs...but in all honesty, they aren't.
The Akita Inu was the ORIGINAL *hunting* dog of the Matagi. These dogs are what you see today, being bred in Japan, and are historically correct. They are smaller, lighter in bone, and look a LOT more like the other native Japanese breeds than do their American cousins. The fiery reds look just like giant Shibas, and in fact, my Shiba breeder imported a beautiful red Akita Inu around 7 years ago, and he complements her Shiba pack perfectly.
Around WW2, American servicemen went to Japan, bringing with them several other breeds of dog, and a taste for dog fights. Akitas were mixed with GSDs, St. Bernards, and some mastiff breeds, to produce strong, heavy boned animals that would excel in dog fights. Some great evidence of this is the prevelance of black masking (likely from mastiffs and GSDs) you see on American bred Akitas in comparison to the absolute and total lack of it in Japanese Akitas. Black masks (on dogs that are not black), are frowned upon in native Japanese breeds- it drives us NUTS in Shibas, and is considered fundamentally incorrect- muddling the clarity and simplicity of the face. Nevertheless, you see it all the time on American dogs.
When the war ended, the Japanese people felt a profound desire to salvage things they felt were marks of National pride. Many of these things included dog breeds. Shibas were brought back from near extinction (by mixing three strains of Shiba that had originally existed seperately from one another), and a great effort was made to return Akitas to their former purity. Both breeds were designated national monuments.
Yet American servicemen went home with big-boned, blocky, bear-like dogs- that they still called (and believed were) Akitas.
The divergence went from there.
The ventral markings so important in many Japanese breeds (known as urajiro), were lost in American Akitas due to the addition of other breeds to make strong fighters. Shiba litters tend to have "woolies" in the mix every once in awhile, so it's no surprise to me that Japanese Akitas have the same phenomenon. It's likely at a greater rate for the same reason I mentioned above.
Today Federation Cynologique Internationale registers American Akitas and Japanese Akitas as two entirely different breeds. The Great Japanese Dog, and Akita Inu, respectively. I am of the opinion that we in the US should do the same. I'd love to own and exhibit an Akita Inu in the breed ring here in the US, but they don't do so well pitted against the bigger American dogs.
There are some breeders that occasionally like to mix Japanese Akitas into their lines, and they are none too keen on the idea of splitting the breed in this nation.
At any rate, I adore both the Akita Inu and the American Akita.
If you'd like a really nice example of American Akitas (with some beautiful black brindles), take a look at
www.sondaisakitas.com). I'm pretty picky with American Akitas, but I think Colleen does an excellent job instilling Japanese type into her lines. Especially when you see a lot of overdone, "mastiffy" looking Akitas today.
