The Tosa, also known as the Japanese Mastiff, is a

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese origin that is considered rare. It was originally bred in Tosa,

Shikoku is the smallest of the List of islands of Japan#Main islands, four main islands of Japan. It is long and between at its widest. It has a population of 3.8 million, the least populated of Japan's four main islands. It is south of Honshu ...

(present-day

Kōchi Kochi is a city in Kerala, India. Kochi or Kōchi may also refer to: People * Kochi people, a predominantly Pashtun nomadic people of Afghanistan * , a Japanese surname: ** Arata Kochi (born 1948 or 1949), Japanese physician and World Health Org ...

), as a fighting dog and the only dog legally allowed in Japanese dog fighting. Ownership is restricted in some countries as a dangerous breed.

Appearance

The Tosa vary considerably in size, with the Japanese-bred dogs tending to be about half the size of those bred outside the country. The Japanese breed generally weighs between , while non-Japanese breeders have focused on dogs that weigh from and stand at the

withers Withers are the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, this ridge is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, catt ...

. The coat is characterized by its short and smooth appearance and is often red,

brindle Brindle is a coat (animal), coat coloring pattern in animals, particularly dogs, cattle, guinea pigs, cats, and, rarely, horses. It is sometimes described as "tiger-striped", although the brindle pattern is more subtle than that of a tiger's co ...

, or fawn, but occasionally it can be a dull black. Maintenance of the coat is usually minimal. Dogs can occasionally tip the scale at . In Japan, they are considered the equivalent of

Sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...

wrestlers and are even depicted in wrestling

accoutrements Accoutrements are the personal/individual equipment of service people such as soldiers, sailors, police and firemen and employees of some private organizations such as security guards, other than their basic uniform and weapons.In American English ...

History

This breed originated in the second half of the 19th century. The breed started with the native Shikoku-Inu (an indigenous dog weighing about 25 kilograms (45 pounds) and standing about 55 centimetres high). These dogs were crossed with European dog breeds, such as the

Old English Bulldog The Old English Bulldog is an extinct dog breed, breed of dog. Physical characteristics The Old English Bulldog was compact, broad and muscular, as reflected in the painting ''Crib and Rosa''. Through John Scott's engraving, this painting ...

in 1872, the

English Mastiff The English Mastiff, or simply the Mastiff, is a British list of dog breeds, breed of very large dog of mastiff type. It is likely descended from the ancient Alaunt and Pugnaces Britanniae, with a significant input from the Alpine Mastiff in th ...

in 1874, the Saint Bernard and German Pointer in 1876, the

Great Dane The Great Dane is a German list of dog breeds, breed of large mastiff-sighthound, which descends from hunting dogs of the Middle Ages used to hunt bears, wild boar, and deer. They were also used as guardian dogs of German nobility. It is one o ...

in 1924, and the Bull Terrier. The aim was to breed a larger, more powerful dog specifically for dog fighting competitions in Japan. The heyday of Tosa breeding was between 1924 and 1933, when it was said that there were more than 5,000 Tosa breeders in Japan.

Use

In South Korea, it is one of the main

dog meat Dog meat, also known as fragrant meat or simply fragrant, is the meat derived from dogs. Historically human consumption of dog meat has been recorded in many parts of the world. In the 21st century, dog meat is consumed to a limited extent in ...

breeds, along with

Nureongi The ''Nureongi'' (), also known as the Korean Yellow Spitz or (), is a common, spitz-type dog with yellowish coloring endemic to the Korean peninsula. ''Nureongi'' has bat-like ears, a tail that stands upright, and a body with a square shape. ...

dogs.

Legal matters

Ownership of Tosas is legally restricted in certain jurisdictions. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, ownership is regulated under the

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (c. 65) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom prohibiting or restricting certain types of dogs and codifying the criminal offence of allowing a dog of any breed to be dangerously out of control. After a s ...

, and in

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under the Dog Control Act 2014. A specific exemption from a British court is required to own and import Tosas legally in the UK. The breed is banned or legally restricted at a national level in: *

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Notes

References

Bibliography

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tosa (Dog) FCI breeds Dog breeds originating in Japan Dog fighting breeds Rare dog breeds