TOSA INU- MORE THAN A DOG

History of fighting dog- Tosa Inu

The Tosa Inu (dog) or Tosa Token (fighting style dog) is the most feared and revered of all Japan`s canine species.

Fighting dogs in Japan were first seen about 200 years ago in hands of noble Samurai warriors.This particular dog and its style of fighting are deeply rooted in the traditions and culture of the ancient Samurai warriors.

       

When these returned home from battle,different from the other townsfolk,who were merchants,artisans and service providers,the soldiers had to wait for another war to be declared to be gainfully employed.Many times in their waiting,they turned to fighting amongst themselves.Looking with disdain upon this practice,a very powerful Samurai Warlord encouraged his men to engage in dog fighting instead.This made the Tosa very popular and that same Samurai chief known by the name of Chozogabe,went on to establish the rules for dog fighting.But,when Toku Oawa,the famous `Edo Ela` defeated Chozogabe,he wanted to eliminate Chozogabe`s people.Matters became worse when a change to the Samurai code was in place,making for a very difficult transition.These factors lead to the encouragement of dogfighting to appease the frustrated soldiers and,to the development of the Tosa as a superior fighter.

The tradition of dog fighting was especcially popular in the Tosa district of Shikoku.The product of thoughtfull eugenic manipulation by the Japanese,the Tosa dogs active in fighting,were not the present day incarnation.

Between 1866 and 1869 many foreigners with big sized dogs entered the country.Japanese were impressed by the size,strength and endurance of these Western dogs.

To create the Tosa,they crossbreed the Shikoku ken with Bulldogs(1872),Mastiffs (1874),German Pointers (1876), Great Danes (1924), Bull Terrier and St.Bernards all of which were used to improve the bread by sequential mating.

Type of care for Tosa

When the Old English Mastiff experts went to Kochi,in Japan,they saw the excellent bone structure of the Tosa and they were very impressed ,and this good result was due to excellent balance of calcium in the bone.An important factor to understand here is that the calcium levels of water in Japan are deficient compared to Europe`s.Taking this into the consideration ,the Tosa was originally produced through the Shikoku Inu and the English Bulldog.All origins of Tosa today are Shikoku Inu,English Bulldog,Mastiff,Great Dane Dogo,Saint Bernard,Bullterrier and Poenter.

That is why we had to administer to our dogs extra amounts of vitamins,calcium and minerals to their diet,and thus,provide good bone development.On the other hand ,it is possible that some Tosas may have problems with their legs because of their large body.This is why we have to be very careful especially between the ages of two and nine months,a period in which the dog grows rapidly.As you may know,the hind quarters sometimes grow faster than the front until the animal develops completely and in this process your dog may a begin to look like a Fila.You should look at your dog every week to check that the head is growing proportionally ,if not,than a change in diet might be required.In reference to diets,there is ot much difference in the manner of caring for similar dogs like Fila,Mastiff and other large and long breeds.

About import from Japan

Tosa is a dog from Japan,their National treasure, has a long history involving Imperial Dynasties and great hystorical figures all interwoven into Japanese heritage..We find that this dog is not very well known even in Japan ,and adding to it`s mystic are,the secretive practices of the breeders who organize themselves in groups of 30-40 .The groups are guided by a designated leader,who menages and conditions the animals and is responsible for all decisions concerning the dogs.

Japanese Tosa aficionados are not selling Tosa dogs because of economical hardship,it is because you have the desire to acquire a puppy of that breed and have contacted the Japanese Tosa men for the arrangement of such a transaction.

The Japanese Tosa breeder may assist in choosing a healthy dog for you,but there is no guarantee against genetic problems or anything else,you take the risk when you decide to make the purchase.When requering a guarantee in the purchase a Tosa breeder feel that he is compromising his good faith.This can cause them to refuse to help you get a Tosa because in all reality they usually breed for themselves and not for the general public.

They are the Sumo Wrestler counterpart in the dog world.The peak of dog fighting history was between the end of the Meiji period and the beginning of the Showa period.During this time a large number of great fighting dogs were produced.Fighting tournaments were held often and Tosa fighting dogs are very well known throughout Japan.

A good Tosa for the Japanese is one that has a good head,a powerfull neck,excellent wrestling ability and the potential to become an intelligent fighter. With that purpose on mind,a career is forged to guide the dog to Yokozuna (Champion) status or Grand Yokozuna (Grand Champion) ranking,the maximum position attainable in Tosa tournaments.

As a companion,Tosa`s are ineffably affectionate,obedient and protective,and despite their great size,they are gentle and deferential to their owners…..as we already said…..Tosa Inu-more than a dog….

TOSA INU - VIŠE OD PSA …

Istorija Tosa Inu utkana u Japansku kulturu

Bez sumnje možemo reći da je Tosa jedna od najfascinantnijih ,ali u isto vreme i jedna od najmanje proučenih pasmina.Tosa Inu je japanski borbeni pas,životinja legendarne hrabrosti I inteligencije koja svojom pojavompleni oči posmatrača.Opisan je kao Sumo rvač u svetu pasa i smatra se nacionalnim blagom u Japanu.

Borbeni psi u Japanu se prvi put spominju pre oko 200 godina ,uz plemenite Samuraje ratnike.Često se dešavalo,u periodima čekanja između ratova ili bitki,da se Samuraji okrenu borbama među sobom.Posmatrajući sa prezrenjem ovaj njihov običaj, vođa Samuraja, poznat kao Chozogabe,ohrabrivao je svoje ljude da svoje pse puštaju da se bore umesto njih samih.Ustanovio je i pravila za borbe pasa,što je tadašnju `Tosu` učinilo veoma popularnom. Međutim,kada je Toku Oawa,poznatiji kao `Edo Ela`,porazio Chozogabea i preuzeo moć,želeo je da eliminiše Chozogabe-ove ljude.Uveo je promene i u samom Samurajskom kodeksu časti,što je još više zakomplikovalo tranziciju.Svi ovi faktori su vodili ka ohrabrivanju održavanja borbi pasa,koje su umirivale frustrirane vojnike,a `Tose` razvile u superiorne borce.

Tradicija borbi pasa je posebno bila popularna u Tosa oblasti ostrva Shikoku.Produkti tadašnje manipulacije `dobrim genima` -`Tose` aktivne u tadašnjim borbama,nisu ono što Tose danas predstavljaju.

Između 1866. i 1869. godine mnogo stranaca pristiže u Japan sa svojim krupnim psima.Japanci su bili impresionirani veličinom,snagom i čvrstinom ovih Zapadnjačkih rasa.Da bi stvorili Tosu kakvu mi danas poznajemo,ukrštali su svog psa Shikoku ken prvo sa Buldogom (1872),Mastifom (1874),Poenterom (1876), Nemačkom Dogom (1924),Bulterijerom i Bernardincem.Sve ove rase pojedinačno doprinele su današnjem fenotipu i genotipu Tosa Inu pasa.

Dva puta tokom XX veka sve japanske rase,uključujući i Tosu,bile su na ivici istrebljenja i nestanka- tokom II Svetskog rata,zbog nedostatka hrane i surovih ratnih uslova,a nakon toga je došlo do pojave epidemije pseće kuge.

Udruženje za zaštitu Tosa ,sačuvalo je u tom periodu 12 pasa,koji su po svom karakteru i tipu bili potpuno autentični predstavnici svoje rase.Odvedeni su u oblast Aormi na severu Japana,u toj oblasti je bilo najmanje štete i ratnih dejstava.

Od ovih 12 primeraka Tosa potiče većina današnjih pasa.

Tose su tokom perioda pre početka II Sv.rata prenete u Koreju i Tajvan gde se i danas odgajaju.

Način nege pasa Tosa Inu

Kada su eksperti za stare Engleske Mastife posetili Kochi u Japanu,zapazili su fantastičnu koštanu strukturu Tosa.Ovakav rezultat je proizilazio iz odličnog balansa kalcijuma u kostima.U današnje vreme potrebno je našim psima ishranu obogaćivati izbalansiranim količinama vitamina,minerala i kalcijuma i time omogućiti pravilan razvoj kostiju.Ipak,postoji mogućnost da Tose imaju problema sa nogama zbog svog krupnog tela.Zbog toga moramo biti obazrivi u periodu od drugog do devetog meseca ,jer je to period u kome pas rapidno raste.Kao što vam je možda već poznato,zadnji deo tela se ponekad brže razvija od prednjeg ,a nakon toga se pas vremenom potpuno formira.Tokom tog procesa pas može početi da liči na Filu.Treba obratiti pažnju da li se glava razvija proporcionalno,u slučaju da nije tako,preporučuje se promena u načinu ishrane.Što se ishrane Tosa tiče,nema velike razlike u načinu hranjenja kao i kod pasa File, Mastifa i drugih krupnih rasa.

Koliko je teško nabaviti Tosu iz Japana?

Tosa Inu je za Japance Nacionalno blago,ima dugu istoriju vezanu za Imperatorske Dinastije i važne istorijske ličnosti,utkana je u japansko nasleđe.Ipak,o ovom psu se ne zna previše ni u samom Japanu,priča o njemu obavijena je velom tajne i misterije.Sami odgajivači Tosa su organizovani u grupe,njih 30-40,imaju svoga lidera koji donosi sve važne odluke.

Veliki broj Tosa u Japanu su u vlasništvu Yakuza.

Što se tiče uvoza psa iz Japana,iako vam osoba iz Japana može pomoći da pronađete odgovarajuću Tosu,zapamtite da ih oni ne prodaju iz ekonomskih razloga,zarade radi,već samo zato što vi imate veliku želju da sebi priuštite stene ove rase .Japanski odgajivači ne garantuju psa nikome.Mogu pomoći u odabiru zdravog psa za vas,ali nema garancije što se tiče genetskih problema ili bilo čega drugog.Vi preuzimate rizik kada odlučite da kupite psa.Ako ipak zatražite garancije ,time ga možete uvrediti ,jer će smatrati da nemate poverenja u njegov izbor.Lako se može desiti da odbije da vam pomogne da dođete do Tose jer ih oni prvenstveno odgajaju samo za sebe same.

Dobra Tosa prema Japancima je ona sa snažnom glavom,mišićavim vratom,odličnim borbenim sposobnostima i potencijalom da postane inteligentan borac.Sa ovakvim ciljem pred sobom,odgajivač obučava psa da ga borbama dovede do statusa Yokozuna –šampiona ili čak Grand Yokozuna-veliko šampionskog statusa,što je maksimalna pozicija koju mogu dostići na Tosa turnirima.

Tose u Evropi i Americi su odavno izgubile svoju prvobitnu funkciju i sada se izvode većinom samo kao kućni ljubimci na izložbe pasa.U Srbiji imamo zavidan kvalitet ovih pasa,mada ne posećujemo velike svetske izložbe zbog smanjenih finansijskih mogućnosti u odnosu na većinu evropskih zemalja.

Zahvaljujući vrlo bliskom poreklu naših Tosa sa autentičnim japanskim linijama ,možemo biti ponosni na pse koje odgajamo.

Kao Vaš pratilac ,Tosa je neizrecivo privržena,poslušna i zaštitnički nastrojena,i uprkos svojoj veličini,ona je nežna i puna poštovanja prema svom vlasniku….kao što smo na početku spomenuli…Tosa Inu je- više od psa…