Origin: Japan

Japan has a long history of dog fighting, beginning in the 14th century. On the island of Shikoku, the Shikoku Inu had been unequaled in the Japanese dogfighting arenas before Westerners arrived. Shortly after Commodore Perry’s arrival in Japan in 1854, Japanese dog fanciers and dogfighters began acquiring foreign dogs to cross with their native stock. The Tosa breed was produced as a hybrid of Shikoku-ken and Western breeds after European and Western traders brought their mastiff-type fighting dogs with them.

Indigenous to the Tosa Province (now Kochi Prefecture) on Shikoku, the Tosa was named after the region where they were bred and are sometimes called Japanese Mastiffs, for they are known for their extreme courage and tenacious athletic abilities in the fighting arenas of Japan. The Western dogs used for creating the breed were Bulldogs (1872), Mastiffs (1874), German Pointers (1876) and Great Danes (1924), all of which were used to improve the breed by sequential mating. According to some accounts, Saint Bernards and Bull Terriers were also involved, but it is not known in what years they were used. The Tosa’s established features of stamina and a fighting instinct typically found in Mastiffs may be attributed to the involvement of such breeds.

In Japan, Tosas are the canine equivalent of Sumo wrestlers and are treated with great honor and ceremony. In the United States, the Tosa Ken serves as a companion dog and guardian of the home.