Pop Japan

Also known as Ainu-ken (Ainu dog), the Hokkaido-ken is a breed of dog native to Hokkaido.

They are a very loyal breed and was reported to take on even the large Higuma (Hokkaido Brown Bear) if their owner's safety is threatened. They were traditionally bred as hunting dogs by the Ainu people from the Tohoku region, but nowadays they are brought up as family pets. Hokkaido-ken are highly intelligent dogs and responds positively to training.

One of the popular Hokkaido-ken today is Kai-kun who have been starring commercial series for the Japanese telecom company Softbank as Jiro Shirato since 2007.

Photo by Magdalena Niemiec. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

Tags: Animals, Hokkaido Dog, Hokkaido-ken, Hokkaido, Dog, Kai-kun, Lolyal breed, hunting dogs, Ainu-ken, Ainu Dog, others, hokkaido brown bear, higuma, softbank, jiro shirato