Kishu Ken Population Crisis

First, we're going to go over the dramatic decline of the breed... but don't lose hope! The second half of this blog post will discuss ways to assist the Kishu Ken and the National Kishu Club.

​The Kishu Ken is facing a crisis​. ​None of the medium sized native Japanese breeds are doing well in the numbers game of registrations per year, but the Kishu Ken registration numbers have been dropping the most dramatically.

Once rather populous and popular among the medium sized breeds, the Kishu has been experiencing a decline in popularity that has equaled a decline in population by registration numbers a year. With the rate of decline, if the population does not stabilize, we may be approaching a time where we see 0 or very few registrations in as little as 3 years.

Here's a snapshot of registration numbers:

• 1993: 2443 new NIPPO registrations
• 1995: 1960 new NIPPO registrations
• 2008: 739 new NIPPO registrations
• 2017: 372 new NIPPO registrations
• 2018: 351 new NIPPO registrations
• 2019: 252 new NIPPO registrations

Considering NIPPO is the primary breed registry internationally, and its pedigrees are recognized by the AKC (nearly all Kishu Ken in the world are NIPPO-registered, with the FCI having the second highest population of registered dogs), the sad reality for our breed right now is that we may face extinction if things do not change.

This is compounded with the fact that only 66 individuals have ever been registered with the AKC. These dogs have birth years ranging from 1991 to 2019 and the majority are downline from only a handful of imports, some related to one another.
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​Fortunately, there are things that can be done to help stabilize this decline and improve Kishu Ken visibility and AKC numbers.

The registration numbers of medium sized Japanese breeds from 1993-2018 published by Shigeru Kato. Taken from his blog (linked.)

What You can Do:

There are multiple ways fans and enthusiasts can help the Kishu Ken. Even if your home is not ready for a Kishu Ken and you cannot welcome a dog at this moment, please consider some of the other ways you can help:

Things anyone can do:

• Donate to the club. Every donation helps. Your donations may be applied to producing educational materials, renting breed booths at various events to educate the public, distributing or publishing physical goods for the Kishu Ken. We must bring the Kishu Ken to the public to get them the popularity they need to survive. 
  • At current, the club is working on monthly donation programs where donators will receive promotional materials. Stay tuned!
  • To donate to the National Kishu Club, send us an email at info@kishuclub.com or use the same Email as our PayPal address if you wish to donate anonymously. 
  • Donations to the club may also be used to secure import dogs in the future.
• Share our posts and social media. A share can go a long way if you cannot afford to donate. A share can also educate newcomers to the breed.
• Volunteer with the club or become a member. We always need people to speak to the public during shows and breed booths, or help manage dogs during public education events. 

If you already own a Kishu Ken:

• Be active on social media! Kishu Ken have a publicity problem in that few people know they exist. If you have an active pet or just want to share your dog with the world, be active on social media.
• Enter your dog into sports. Kishu Ken are versatile dogs. Many people believe that they are strictly a hunting dog. Show the world what Kishu Ken can do. If you need help getting involved in dog sports, please reach out to the club and we will help you get involved. Kishu Ken can enjoy a number of sports that are easy to enter and require little to no training (such as barn hunt and lure coursing) and other sports that need a little more work to be competitive (such as conformation, rally, obedience, agility, nose work, weight pull, and even bite sports!)
• Bring your dog to public education events. Consider aiding the club with Meet the Breed booths and other public education events. Kishu who are social and under control are ideal dogs to introduce to the public and can be quite charming!
• Request educational materials from the club. We may have informational brochures, cards, and other materials for you to hand out just for whenever you get stopped or asked "what kind of dog is that?"

If you are interested in owning a Kishu Ken:

• Join the club. Joining the club, volunteering, and connecting with other Kishu Ken owners is extremely helpful. There are never enough knowledgeable hands on deck to help at public events.
• Consider importing. The population outside of Japan is based on very limited individuals and many of those individuals are actually related. Importing from Japan can be a very helpful way to widen our genepool and assist in preserving the breed. If you are interested in importing, the club can help direct you to resources. If we cannot export valuable lines from Japan or show breeders that there is interest in these dogs, we will continue to see kennels close their doors and entire lines lost.

Kishu Ken are a versatile, devoted, and focused dog who can excel as an active companion to share life with. They are not "only" a hunting dog and many are very outgoing with anyone they meet. They have a place in modern pet, sport, and working homes, and deserve a fighting chance.