About Hirose-so

Located in Toyooka-mura Iwata-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture (south west of Tokyo), our Shiba�fs foundation is Kurojishi and his daughter Hirose-no-Kurohime. This father-daughter heritage came from Yoshikado-Go whose grand sire is Azumi-no-Hana, and Homare-Fuji whose dam is Benimaru (Matsumaru Lineage). Both Kurojishi and Hirose-no-Kurohime won Soken-Prize*1) in the Nihonken Hozonkai (Nippo) Grand National. Our Shibas have also won Best of Breed in FCI Asia International, held by the Japan Kennel Club (JKC). We are one of only a few kennels that have won both JKC and Nippo.

*1) Soken group is age between 18 months to 30 months. Soken-Prize in Grand National is awarded to top 10% of all participating dogs. See �gAbout Nippo Shows�h for more explanation for Nippo dog shows.

Our Shibas are of the best Lineages;

The Shiba is the little dog that was brought with the �goriginal Japanese people�h in the Jomon Period ? dog bones were found from remains of the period. They were kept as hunting dogs on Honshu Island from the central to the western mountain areas. �gShinshu-Shiba,�h �gMino-Shiba,�h and �gSanin-Shiba�h are decedents from the original Shibas. �gEchi-no-Inu�h (now extinct) and �gKawakami-ken,�h which still exists in Nagano Prefecture, are also Shiba Inus. The Shibas were not widely known for a long time since they were kept only in the mountains as hunting dogs. It wasn�ft until the mid 1920�fs, that they became more commonly recognized by the general public.

In the 20�fs, Dr. Shosaburo Watase started to preserve native Japanese dogs, and the Shiba Inu was established as a national treasure in 1930. After World War II, the Shiba was almost wiped out; however, a great effort for reestablishment was undertaken, and Shibas are now the most popular dog in Japan.

There are several stories about what the word �gShiba�h means ? Some say it refers to the coat color, brushwood, or that it just means �gsmall.�h Others relate tales of the dog�fs agility around and through wood (Shiba) hedges ? any of these might be the source of the breed name. Today, Shiba Inus (Inu means dog in Japanese) are mainly kept as family pets because of their hardiness, cleanliness, cute face, and small size. Shibas are also recognized as being highly intelligent and easy to train.

About Nippo Shows;

Each spring and fall, Nippo holds 100 shows across the nation at three levels. Local offices have shows, which are followed by 8 regional shows, culminating in the Grand National in November. To compete in the Grand National, dogs must earn �gYuryo�h at local and regional shows.

Males and females in a breed are judged separately and grouped by age. Judging is 2-fold; first, dogs are judged according to how close they are to breed standard, and placed in 4 levels; Yuryo (Excellent), Tokuryo (very good), Ryo (good), Ka (average). Second, dogs are compared to one another, and ranked from top to bottom.

At the Grand National, from all breeds, one dog is elected �gPrime Minister *2)�h (i.e. Best In Show (BIS)) and 1 dog gets �gMinister of Education and Science *3),�h and 1 dog becomes �gDirector of Agency for Cultural Affairs *4)�h (the 2 runners-up are BIS reserves).

In 2004, 1100 dogs from 5 breeds (Akita, Kishu, Shikoku, Kai, and Shiba) participated at the Grand National. About 70 percent of participating dogs were Shibas, followed (in descending order) by Kishu, Shikoku, Kai, and Akita. Prime Minister was awarded to a Shikoku-ken (female), Minister of Education, went to a Shiba-Inu (male), and Director of Agency for Cultural Affairs was given to a Kishu-ken (male).

*2,3,4) The prize names are in honor of the highest posts in the Japanese Cabinet.