Akita. Barbara J. Andrews
Akitas, Japanese Akitas, Great Japanese Dogs, Tweenies and Blends.
It must be noted, however, that those original pedigrees were so questionable as to be considered mongrelized. Many of the original dogs brought back from Japan were not of pure parentage; therefore, a narrow gene pool was hardly the case. Dogs that had survived the worst of the war were in fact left to wander the streets by owners who loved them too much to destroy them. They could not risk being identified as owners of such large dogs, whose voracious appetites further reduced the scarce food supply, so they abandoned the dogs to the streets to fend for themselves.
Author B.J. Andrews with Ch. O’BJ Nikki No Takara, moving in the ring at the American National Specialty, where she won first in the American-bred Class over 20 bitches. Nikki is an inbred daughter of the great Sachmo, considered by most experts to be the best Akita ever bred.
A pinto Akita on the move. Coloration doesn’t matter–movement, temperament and soundness are all!
As indicated by numerous photos of the time, Nature took her course and the Akita interbred with mongrels and strays of other breeds. Indeed, Helen Keller’s Akita, with whom she was frequently photographed, would not today be regarded as purebred in either America or Japan. Nonetheless, those early imports had the intelligence and character that make the breed so remarkable and unique today.
Having arrived in America, the breed that would later be registered as the Akita was further out-crossed by random matings. In addition, there continued to be a few dogs imported from Japan. We must apply common sense rather than rhetoric in order to establish a factual genetic basis of the breed in America. Japan was busy reconstructing itself and any sort of cash income was most welcome; therefore, little attention was paid to the purity of dogs sold on the street or in pet shops. With the stud book so lacking in authenticity, the progeny of those matings subsequently, and as a matter of course, became AKC-registered.
Sire of over 100 American champions, this is the one and only Ch. Okii Yubi’s Sachmo of Makoto, owned by Bill and B.J. Andrews. He is the number-one sire of all Working breeds in the US.
There were, fortunately, a handful of dominant dogs that led to the development of several prominent lines. Issei Riki Oji Go was bred to Kuma’s Akai Kosho-Go, and that mating produced Ch. Mitsu Kuma’s O Kashihime-Go, Mitsu Kuma’s Splashdown (US top sire Sachmo’s granddam) and the breed’s first Group winner, Ch. Mitsu Kuma’s Tora Oji Go, owned by Terry Wright. The Mullens’ Mitsu Kuma kennels in New Jersey became well known for its contributions to the early development of the Akita in the States.
The Frerose Kennels of Fred Duane was founded on top show dog and producer, Am-Can-Berm. Ch. Kenjiko Royal Tenji, ROMXP. Jojo, as he was called, is the grandson of Japanese import Teddy Bear of Toyohashi Seiko.
A handsome import, Gyokushu of Tojo Kensha was the grandsire of Krug’s Sotto and Michiko of Kensha. Santo became a foundation sire for Bettye and Francis Krug of Maryland, and Michiko was a top producer for the Sakura kennels of Barbara Miller. Ch. Krug’s Ichiban Akemi-Go was the top-winning Akita bitch prior to AKC recognition.
Ch. O’BJ BigSon of Sachmo was the number-three sire of all time, photographed at the modest age of eleven. He sired 48 American champions, including tens of specialty winners and ROM get.
A small kennel was established by Bob Campbell, who shipped one of his foundation bitches, Namesu-Joo, back to the West Coast to be bred to the mighty Ashibaya Kuma, owned by Bea Hunt. That mating produced Yukan No Okii Yubi, ROMP, who sired Ch. Okii Yubi’s Dragon House Ko-Go, ROMXP, owned by Bill and Barbara Andrews. Ko-Go went on to become the number-two all-time top-producing dam. Bob Campbell is credited with having bred many top producers, including the number-one sire of all Working Group dogs in the US, Ch. Okii Yubi’s Sachmo of Makoto, ROMXP. Sachmo, as he was called, was also owned by Bill and Barbara (B.J.) Andrews. Sachmo’s grandsire was California’s top winner and producer, Ch. Fukumoto’s Ashibaya Kuma, a grandson of Jap. Gr. Ch. Kinsho-Go, the son of Mexican Ch. Triple K Hayai Taka.
The dominant brindle bitch, Jap. Gr. Ch. Haru Hime, produced very well for Barbara Confer when bred to Jap. Gr. Ch. Teddy Bear of Toyohashi Seiko. Ch. Sakusaku’s Tom Cat-Go, ROMP, is just one of the many top winners and Register of Merit progeny produced by Teddy Bear and Haru Hime.
Eng. Ch. Paper Doll O’BJ, sired by BigSon, was a lovely Akita, photographed at ten years of age. She was owned by C. and N. Callaway.
Walter Kam brought several Akitas from Japan to found Triple K kennels, in San Gabriel, California. They produced such great dogs as Mex. Ch. Triple K Hayai Taka and Ch. Triple K Shinya Ningyo, who produced Triple K Miko, the mother of the aforementioned Ashibaya Kuma. Shina Ningyo was herself a daughter of Jap. Gr. Ch. Kinsho-Go, a son of Jap. Gr. Ch. Kinsho-Go Abe.
The Akita Tani kennel of Liz Harrel was founded on two great dogs that traced directly to the Kams’ original import stock. Akita Tani’s Shoyo-Go was sired by Jap. Gr. Ch. Kinsho-Go, who was also the sire of Shinya Ningyo. Shoyo-Go was successfully bred to two of his half-sisters by Kinsho-Go, and also back to his dam, Kokoro. As he was already the product of a father-daughter breeding, the litter produced the very inbred dog Akita Tani’s Tatsumaki, ROM.
Barbara and Mac McDougle, of the kennel name Gin Gin, bred a dog destined to become one of first top winners when the breed was finally recognized—Can-Mex-CACIB Ch. Gin Gin Haiyaku-Go of Saku Saku. Chester, as he was known, was sired by Tom Cat, and, although he became sterile at an early age, he was a top show dog.
The famous Ch. Okii Yubi’s Sachmo of Makoto, ROMXP, blended foundation lines from both coasts through his sire, Mikado No Kin Hozan, ROMP, and his dam, Mariko No Kin Hozan. Sachmo was purchased by Bill and Barbara Andrews as an eight-week-old puppy. Although they had studied pedigrees and were far from new to the sport, the Andrews admit that neither they nor Bob Campbell, Sachmo’s breeder, had any inkling of what lie ahead.
Sachmo became the sire of 101 AKC champions and is credited with having set a consistency of type that has yet to be equaled. He was dominant for his full off-standing coat, tight features with no wrinkles, a huge bear-like head with small eyes and ears and, despite heavy round bone, the muscular body of a true athlete. He also possessed the courage of the old bear dogs of Japan, combined with the staunch protectiveness typical of the later molosser breeds’ influence. To people the world over, he and many of his O’BJ-bred descendants typified the “American Akita.”
On the genetic strength of Sachmo and Ko-Go, both of whom were astute purchases from Bob Campbell, the Andrews quickly became the top Akita kennel in the Western world. With only three to six bitches, the Andrews produced more champions, Registers of Merit and top winners than any other two kennels combined.
The famous Ch. The Widow-Maker O’BJ was linebred on Sachmo, and he quickly became the top-winning Akita of all time. With his carefully constructed pedigree and the few selective matings that the Andrews arranged, The Widow-Maker surpassed Ch. O’BJ BigSon of Sachmo, also bred and owned by Bill and BJ Andrews, as the number-two breed sire. The three top sires of all time remain: Sachmo with 101 champions, Widow-Maker with 78 champions, and BigSon with 49 champions.
The Akita is one of only a very few AKC-registered breeds that allows all colors, even though this clearly shows the diversity of a hybridized background. In Japan, they are not as enthralled by outward evidence of genetic “impurity,” and many of the colors that were highly favored in Japan are now forbidden,