NERO & DELTA

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O Açaime

O açaime é um objecto maldito.

O açaime não é necessario .

O açaime é anti-social.

O açaime é o principio do fim . O passo seguinte é tirar os dentes aos cães e o Estado comparticipar a Papa Mole que todos teremos que dar aos nossos cães.

No caso do Rotweiler que atacou a bebé dentro de casa o uso do Açaime no exterior não iria alterar nada.

Em relação a este HORRIVEL acidente pergunto 2 coisas:

- Era Roteweiler ? Ou Bandog Preto ?

O DONO DO CÃO TEM O DEVER DE EDUCAR O CÃO.

O AÇAIME NÃO É EDUCAÇÃO .

O AÇAIME Á A DESISTENCIA DA EDUCAÇÃO E A TOTAL FALTA DE ESTRUTURA FAMILIAR CANINA .

O CÃO NECESSITA DE PERTENCER A UMA ALCATEIA , DE FAZER PARTE DE UM GRUPO.

EU NÃO USO AÇAIME .

OS MEUS CÃES NÃO USAM AÇAIME.

Pelos Cães vai em 6.500 assinaturas

O Movimento “Pelos Cães“ entende ser essencial1º- DEFESA DO ESTATUTO DE CRIADOR AMADOR – Este estatuto consiste em criar estruturas para formar e reconhecer uma entidade como criador. Sendo este ponto consensual dentro de todos os quadrantes da canicultura, reconhecemos no entanto que este estatuto depende em grande parte da vontade da DGV, ou seja, uma decisão “técnico-politica”.

Esta sugestão é fundamental. Permite mais qualidade na aquisição de qualquer raça de cão. Obriga os supostos criadores a serem-no realmente. Ser criador não é ter um Cão e uma Cadela e vender as ninhadas.
Obriga os criadores a declararem os rendimentos pela venda .
Obriga os criadores a pensarem e a dinamizar a raça a que se dedicaram.
Responsabiliza os futuros donos dos cães pois passam a ser consumidores logo ficam com alguns direitos e quem tem direitos tem deveres.

As consequenciais vão ser claras .O cão passará a ser uma mercadoria.

Haverá vários níveis de troca e aceitação da mercadoria.
- Criação e Venda Justificada
- Cancelamento de ninhadas
- Aumento do preço
- Livro de Reclamações
- Tabelamento dos serviços Veterinários ao nível estatal

O que para mim não é claro é:

O que vai acontecer com os cães não aptos ao nível do criador ?
Será que o Ministério da Agricultura vai ressarcir os Criadores pelas perdas?

O Governo quer tutelar uma actividade .
Em consequencia o Estado terá que se responsabilizar .

Encontro da ninhada com 5 meses

O Nero e a Yara fazem parte de uma ninhada espantosa.Aqui podemos ver algumas fotografias da Suki , Nero , Yara , Pintarolas e Billy por ordem decrescente de pesos.O Nero tem 42 Kg com 5 meses e a Yara 32 Kg.

Do que eu conheço desta ninhada TODOS têem um temperamento fabuloso.É normal quando os progenitores são o Blade e a Suki.

Yara em plena fase Marta Graham

A Yara tem uma flexibilidade espantosa.

Movimento Pelos Cães

Estou verdadeiramente impressionado e de certa forma confortado. Já vamos em 3.000 assinaturas.
É muito importante o apoio dos vários Clubes de Raças. É extremamente significativo o apoio da Associação Portuguesa do Cão Serra da Estrela , não sendo uma das raças visadas esta associação demonstra a sua utilidade Social e a sua disponibilidade.
É importante que os donos de todos os cães percebam que este Movimento Pelos Cães é tambem uma vontade expressa de fazer melhor pela integração destas raças e a sua inserção em Sociedade.
Temos que ter verdadeira vontade de dar a cara pelos nossos CÃES.
Somos os primeiros seres humanos com que eles contactam. Devemos viver com eles e respeitá-los nas suas características. Temos a responsabilidade de responder por eles.
Um cão feliz e bem alimentado tem enorme potencial.

CONVIVER COM UM CÃO É TER VONTADE DE DAR.
INCONDICIONALMENTE.

http://www.peloscaes.org/

PELOS CÃES

http://www.peloscaes.org/


VISITE E ASSINE SE CONCORDAR.

TOSA KEN

Ter um Tosa Ken não pode ser dito. Nós passamos a viver com um Tosa Ken, é mais correcto.
Os Tosa gostam de constantes desafios à sua curiosidade e inteligência.

Os Tosa aprendem rápido e são asseados.

São cães grandes e possantes que precisam de uma correcta inserção familiar (Os nossos desde que chegaram perceberam e adaptaram-se ao seu lugar na nossa pequena "alcateia familiar".).

Isto é extremamente importante para terem um crescimento equilibrado e harmonioso.

Os Tosa fazem parte da lista de cães potencialmente perigosos.

nero e yara em relax

Mariana e Afonso no estudio de som com Nero e Yara

Nero e Yara com 4 meses

Afonso com Yara

RAÇA JAPONESA TOSA KEN

A raça Tosa Ken é fruto do desejo de criar a raça perfeita para combate.

Combate de cães com regras definidas , com cerimonial de inicio e de fim. Combate de cães permitidos só para cães e nunca para cadelas. Combate e não luta ilegal num beco.

Com alguma dignidade.

Obviamente que isto tem que ser visto à luz da cultura Japonesa pré 2ª Guerra Mundial.

De forma a situar os meus caros visitantes permito-me algumas sugestões:

- Confissões de uma Mascara de Yukio Mishima e saibam que o dia em que Mishima começou a escrever este livro foi 25 de Novembro de 1948 e 22 anos depois neste mesmo dia ele fez o seu Seppuku.

- Norwegian Wood de Haruki Murakami (Foi editado recentemente em português ).

- Letters from Iwo Jima de Clint Eastwood.

- Seven Samurai (Shichinin no Samurai) de Akira Kurosava.E este filme além de ser talvez o filme com melhores cenas de batalha de toda a historia do cinema é o filme que nos permite quase visualizar a necessidade que o Imperador Japonês teve de fomentar os combates Tosa Ken ou Tosa Inu (obviamente nesta altura eram combates entre Shikoku Inu ).

-Do not search for the footsteps of the masters of old,search for what they sought esta pode ser uma boa frase para fazer a peregrinação na ilha Shikoku (que traduzido significa : as 4 prefeituras , que são Kochi (Tosa ) , Tokushima , Ehime , Kagava ) seguindo os pensamentos do monge budista Kōbō Daishi que fundou o ramo esotérico do budismo Shingon.

Os combates entre Tosa Ken são legais no Japão embora a raça Tosa Ken não seja considerada um Monumento Nacional ao contrario da raça Akita Inu.

Não sou apologista de lutas fratricidas entre cães com apostas e conexões ao sub mundo da droga .

Mapas do Japão ,Tosa

apontamentos de Historia Japonesa da região Shikoku

{Shikoku Hachijūhachikasho Meguri}
--HISTORY--Kūkai/Kōbō Daishi

Kūkai was born into an aristocratic family in Sanuki Province (now Kagawa Prefecture) on the northeastern coast of the island of Shikoku in 774. At birth he was given the name Saeki no Mao — or, Mao of the Saeki Family. His father and several other family members were local aristocrats and his ancestors had even been provincial governors in the past. The Saeki family was an offshoot of the Ōtomo family, which, until just after Kūkai's birth, played an important role in the imperial court. However, in 785, during construction of the new capital in Nagaoka, Ōtomo no Tsuguto was charged with the assassination of Fujiwara no Tanetsugu and the Ōtomo and Saeki families lost all prestige and influence.
If you strip away the numerous myths and legends that have been written since his death, nothing much is known about Kūkai's life as a child. It can be conjectured, though, that when he reached his teens, the Saeki clan looked to Mao as the person who was going to reclaim the clan's right to prominence and fame. The only way to reclaim their lost aristocratic privileges was to have Mao become a court bureaucrat. Therefore, at the age of 15 (in 788) he was sent to Nara to study with Ato Ōtari, his maternal uncle and tutor to Emperor Kammu's third son, Crown Prince Iyo. As was the custom for the aristocracy, Mao studied the confucian classics, poetry, and rhetoric in order to prepare himself for entrance to the state college.
At the age of 18 (in 791), having passed the entrance exams, he left his uncle's house and entered the state college in Nara. There, he continued his confucian-based studies of poetry and rhetoric in preparation for a court career. However, at some time during this period, he met a monk who introduced him to the esoteric Mantra of Kokūzō (Akashagarbha) and the Gumonji Hō, an esoteric Morning Star meditation practice which is centered on this mantra to the boshisattva Kokūzō. At this point, his life took a dramatic turn and his studies started to wander off the normal confucian track. From then on, in addition to his required confucian studies at the college, he began to read both Taoist and Mahayana Buddhist literature as well. However, as Yoshito Hakeda points out in his book, "...his interest in Buddhism arose not so much from book learning as from the actual experience of meditation. This point is important to an understanding of his religion as a whole."
These new teachings must have gone directly to his heart. The impact of what he read seems to have affected him immediately, and within a year of arriving at the college he had begun to return on a regular and frequent basis to the forests and mountains of Shikoku in order to devote himself to rigorous and ascetic meditative practices. In fact, since the Gumonji Hō meditative practice typically takes about 100 days to perform, and since no student could miss more than 100 days of classes before being dismissed from the college, Mao was probably a student in name only after his first years of studies.
No student was allowed to stay at the college past the age of 25, so when Mao turned 24, it seems that he decided to admit that he wasn't going to become a bureaucrat and quit his studies. Against the wishes of his family, and to their deepest dissapointment, he left the college and the capital and returned to Shikoku to become an itinerent mountain ascetic. When he did so, he took the name of Kūkai.
Even though Kūkai had renounced the aristocratic life and become an unregistered, wandering ascetic, he began a routine that he would continue throughout his life — he apparently split his time between meditative isolation in the mountains and scholarly research in the large monasteries of the capital. In order to gain religious insight and spiritual powers he spent part of his time wandering and performing the gumonji hō and other meditative practices at remote sites like Mt. Tairyū in Awa Province (now Sanuki Prefecture) and Cape Muroto in Tosa Province (now Kōchi Prefecture). At other times he would return to Nara (probably) to read and study the Buddhist literature in the libraries of the major Buddhist monasteries. It was at this time that he first discovered the Dainichikyō, the esoteric Great Sun Sutra (Mahavairocana Sutra).
Kūkai wasn't the only ascetic on Shikoku — far from it. But, there was a significant difference between him and many of the others. Kūkai was an ubasoku, a Buddhist lay believer. Unlike many of the other ascetics he had never been ordained — either officially or unofficially. Like all of the other ascetics Kūkai strove to gain supranormal spiritual powers, to gain the deepest of religious insights, and to find the truth. Unlike many of the others, though, his goal was not to use these new found powers to become a priest at one of the official temples and obtain worldly power.
Kūkai makes it clear in his first book, the Sangō Shiiki, that his ideal during this period of his life was that of a begger — clothed in rags, with no more personal possesions than were absolutely necessary, and living aloof from the world, dedicated to nothing more than living a life according to the Way, and to gaining the deepest realizations possible.
Sometime between returning to Shikoku and when he turned 31 in 804, he had an enlightenment experience while meditating in a cave on Cape Muroto. At this time he declared his intention of dedicating his life to all mankind.
Why he was chosen will never be known for sure, but shortly after his enlightenment experience in 804, Kūkai was selected by Emperor Kammu to be a member of a diplomatic mission preparing to depart for Ch'ang-an, the capital city of China. Since only ordained Buddhist monks could participate in such missions, he was fully ordained in April at Tōdaiji — just 3 months before departing as a student scholar. His plans at the time were to spend the next twenty years in China learning Chinese customs and deepening his understanding of esoteric Buddhism. After some difficulty, both diplomatic and with the weather, the mission finally arrived in Fukien Province three months after leaving Japan. Kūkai then worked his was to the Tang capital in Ch'ang-an, arriving in December of the same year.
His first task was to study Sanskrit, the language from which most of the Buddhist writings had to be translated. By mid-805, though, he was introduced to Hui-kuo, (Jp. Keika) the leading Chinese Shingon master, and became his student. Luckily for Kūkai, his years of study and practice on Shikoku had prepared him well for this meeting and he made fast and deep progress in his studies. I say lucky, because by the end of the same year Hui-Kuo found that he was dying and there was little time left for him to transmit his teachings to his students. Before his death in December of that year, though, he had completed the transmission to Kūkai and made him promise to return to Japan to transmit the esoteric teachings to the Japanese.
In order to fulfill his promise to Hui-Kuo, Kūkai broke his promise to stay in China for 20 years and returned to Japan in the autumn of 806, bringing 216 works in 451 volumes (of which 142 works in 247 volumes were translations of Shingon Buddhism).
Upon his return, Emperor Heizei refused to recognize him or his accomplishments and Kūkai was forced to remain at Dazaifu on Kyūshū until late in 807. It is thought that Heizei didn't recognize his return for three possible reasons, or some combination of these. 1) Kūkai had promised to stay in China for 20 years and had broken that promise. That probably angered some people in the capital, and the government had to decide what to say and do, 2) Heizei had driven his younger brother, Prince Iyo, to death because he suspected him of treason. Ato ōtari, Kūkai's uncle, had tutored the prince and Heizei might have assumed that Kūkai and Iyo had been friends, or 3) Saichō had gone to China with the same diplomatic mission as Kūkai, but had returned within a year. His mission had been to study and master Tendai Buddhism, but when he returned to Japan he brought back some aspects of esoteric buddhism as well. Upon his return, he sold himself as not only a master of Tendai Buddhism, but as a master or esoteric buddhism. That put the government in the position of trying to figure out what to do with Kūkai. If Saichō was already a master of esoteric buddhism, and had already begung preaching it and initiating members of the court, what was there for Kūkai to do? Until the government could figure that out, it was best to leave him at Dazaifu.
After a year at Dazaifu, Kukai was sent an imperial notice that he should return to Honshū, but instead of going to Kyōto, he was told to go to Izumi Province where he was to live at Makino'o-sanji, on Mt. Makino'o. Kūkai, himself, may have asked to stay here when he found that he was being ordered back to the capital. When he returned to Japan, he was not content to simply spread the esoteric teachings that he had learned while in China. Here at Makino'o-sanji, he would have the time, away from imperial pressures to teach, to continue what he had started at Dazaifu - the serious work of developing those teachings into the integrated theoretical system that was to become Japanese Shingon Buddhism.
In early summer of 809, newly appointed Emperor Saga gave Kūkai permission to return to Kyōto and ordered him to take up residence at Takaosanji, on Mt.Takao, just northwest of the capital. This temple was chosen by the leaders of the 6 sects of what has come to be called Nara Buddhism. By 809 they had come to realize that Saichō, who had brought back and established Tendai Buddhism on Mt. Hiei, on the northeast outskirts of Kyōto, was determined to expand Tendai Buddhism in Japan at their expense and by denegrating the teachings of the 6 sects. While at Daizaifu, on the other hand, Kūkai had made it clear in both words and actions that he did not intend to take this course. His approach was to be compromise and adaptation.
Kūkai intended to recognize the Nara sects for their accomplishments to date and for having spread the Buddhist message as they knew it. Very soon after his return from China he let it be known that he felt that it was because of the teachings of Kegon Budhism that he had studied while on Shikoku those many years that he was able to so quickly see into the depths of esoteric Buddhism. In fact, Kūkai is quoted as having said of Kegon Buddhism, "One step further, and it could reach the level of Esoteric Buddhism." Sensing that Kūkai would help offset the growing power of Saichō in the imperial court, the leaders of the six Nara sects went out of their way to help him settle in the capital after his return and begin spreading his message.
At Takaosanji, Kūkai continued his studies of the esoteric Buddhism he had brought back to Japan. By 810 he had become a public figure and was working to integrate his Shingon teachings with those of the six Nara sects and Tendai. His influence with the court was also growing as Emperor Saga was actively approaching Kūkai because of his well known skills at literature and calligraphy, which had amazed even his Chinese hosts in Ch'ang-an.
In November 811, Emperor Saga ordered Kūkai to leave Takaosanji and move to Otokuni-dera, a temple in Otokuni County, near the site of the short-lived capital of Nagaoka. While Saga told Kūkai that the reason was because Takaosanji was just inconvenient, some say the move was an attempt to pacify the wrathful spirit of Crown Prince Sawara. Ever since Emperor Kammu had exiled Sawara to this temple, and then sent him into exile, and death, on Awaji Island in 785, the imperial court had felt cursed by Sawara's angry spirit. Some believe that Kūkai's forced move was because he was the only peron who had the power to pacify this spirit.
Kūkai was allowed to return to Takaosanji in October 812 and he immediatley recommenced his teaching and work to spread the influence of Shingon. He also began writing in order to explain his new religion to others.
Although their relationship soured in later years, both Saichō and Kūkai remained friends for most of their early years together in Kyōto. Kūkai met Saichō for the first time when Saichō visited him at Otokuni-dera. Saichō then went on to receive initiation into the first realm of Shingon's Mikkyo from Kūkai at Takaosanji in late 812. Saichō was seven years older than Kūkai, extremely idealistic, and introspective. He adamantly believed that the corruption of the Nara sects needed to be reformed and refused to work with them. Kūkai, on the other hand, was an extovert, ambitious, and a master in the art of compromise. While he must have seen the same corruption, his philosophy, reflecting Shingon universalism, was to embrace all views, attitudes, and teachings. He did this in the belief that, in the end, his own teachings and ideas would triumph.
To Saichō, Kūkai's willingness to compromise and work with the corrupt Nara sects appeared insincere and hypocritical. Yet to Kūkai, Saichō's attempt to introduce Tendai (a sect that in China predated Nara Kegon philosophy) seemed reactionary. In addition, Kūkai adamantly refused to accept Saichō's contention that Tendai esoteric philosophy and Shingon esotericism were identical. On top of all this, Kūkai fimrly believed that esoteric Buddhist teachings could only be understood when they were transmitted directly from a master to the student. Saichō, on the other hand, seemed to believe that you could learn these same teachings simply by reading the books that Kūkai had brouhgt back with him from China. In the end, they were doomed to separate.
In 813, Kūkai began the process of putting his teachings in writing and released a document he called The Admonisments of Kōnin (Kōnin no goyuikai), in which he laid out the aims and practices of Shingon Buddhism. Sometime around 814 he wrote The Difference Between Esoteric and Exoteric Buddhism (Benkenmitsu nikyō ron), in which he proclaims Shingon's independence and its superiority over all other forms of Buddhism in both China and Japan.
As an indication of his growing stature, in 816 (at age 43) Kūkai was granted permission by Emperor Saga to use land on the summit of Mount Kōya, in the center of Kii Province (now Wakayama Prefecture) for the establishment of a monastery dedicated to Shingon Buddhism. It was in this document granting the land where the words Shingon Shū (Shingon Sect) were used officially for the first time. Kūkai planned that Mount Kōya (in addition, later, to Tōji in Kyōto) would be where monks were trained exclusively in the Shingon teachings and where he would be able to practice his meditative rituals in isolated surroundings. As was the case when he spent his younger years on Shikoku, however, he was never able to make himself spend all of his time in the remote region of Mt. Kōya. Throughout his life he divided his time between the isolated mountain and working in the capital city.
817 and 818 were very productive years for him as he completed and released three books that explained the very heart of his new teachings: Attaining Enlightenment in This Very Existence (Sokushin jōbutsu gi), The Meaning of Sound, Word, and Reality (Shōji jissō gi), and The Meanings of The Word Hūm (Unji gi). While he had immediately sent his disciples to Mt. Kōya to begin the building process when Emperor Saga had granted him the land in 816, it wasn't until now, in 818, that Kūkai himself went there. He was to spend most of the year there supervising the building process and making sure that the design matched his inner vision of what he wanted his monastery to become.
In 821 he was asked by the emperor to direct the reconstruction of Mannōike reservoir in Sanuki Province on Shikoku. This was completed successfully in several months and brought him even more fame and recognition. Also in this year, he wrote The Transmission of Shingon Dharma (Shingon fuhō den) and supervised the process of reproducing the mandala and dozens of other religious paintings that he had brought back from China.
In 822 Kūkai was given permission to build a Shingon chapel and initiation hall (Nan-in) at Tōdaiji in Nara. Given that Tōdaiji was the headquarters of Nara Buddhism, this shows just how complete his dominance of Japanese Buddhism had become.
In early 823 (at age 50) he was granted the uncompleted Tōji in Kyōto for exclusive use by Shingon clerics and as a training center for Shingon esoteric doctrines. Since the temple had originally been started under national asupices, the continued construction under Kūkai would be undertaken at the governments expense. Emperor Saga granted this just three months before retiring the throne as the highest sign of his patronage and respect for Kūkai and what he was doing.
As his stature and importance grew, the demands on his time and energies also grew. This ten year period, between being granted Tōji in 823 and retiring to Mt. Kōya in 832, was his most productive period. In 824, besides supervising the construction of the monastery on Mt. Kōya and the construction and renovation work at Tōji, he was appointed Shōsōzu (Junior Director) of the official Buddhist monastic system. In 824, Emperor Junna (who took office in 822 when Saga retired) issued an edict stating that there should be 50 monks in residence at Tōji under Kūkai's guidance and direction. In 827 Kūkai was promoted to Daisōzu (Director of the official monastic system), which he would hold until 831. In 825 he became tutor to the crown prince, maybe the ultimate in indications that he had reached the pinnacle of success.
Not satisfied with the welfare of just the aristocracy, however, in 828 Kūkai founded the first shool in Japan to allow anyone, regardless of social status or economic means, to register and study. Called the School of Arts and Sciences (Shugei Shuchi-in), he accepted students from all walks of life and taught Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism (both exoteric and esoteric), the three major intellectual systems then known in Japan and China. Housing was provided to all teachers and students who needed it. Funds to run the school came from donations and from revenue gained from rice paddies the govenment had granted Kūkai over the years. Unfortunately, however, the school didn't last much past his death as it was sold in 847 by the monks of Tōji in order to raise needed funds. Somewhere during this time period, Kūkai developed a dictionary for his students, the first dictionary available in Japan.
In 830 Kūkai completed his seminal work The Ten Stages of the Development of Mind, in which he lays out ten stages in the process of spiritual awakening and quotes a passage from the Mahavairocana Sutra: "To attain enlightenment is to know one's own mind as it really is." (This quote has little to do with the Daishi's history, i just really like it and wanted to include it here.)
In late spring 831, Kūkai became seriously ill and was forced to retire all of his official duties. The emperor, however, refused to let him leave the capital until the summer of 832, at which time he retired to Mt. Kōya. He returned to Kyōto in December of 834 for a short period in order to establish a Shingon chapel (Shingon-in) in the imperial palace and to perform ceremonies there.
In January 835, the Emperor granted Kūkai permission to officially ordain three monks annualy on Mt. Kōya, thus officially recognizing Shingon as a state supported institution.
After predicting the date of his death, Kūkai died on Mt. Kōya on April 23, 835 (by today's calendar), at the age of 62. His mausoleum is located behind the Okunoin on Mt. Kōya. In 921 an imperial order gave him the posthumous name of Kōbō Daishi.

Nero e Yara TOSA KEN

Têm 3 meses e meio e foram adquiridos no Canil White Brook de Gustavo Ribeiro e Stephanie Branco.

São criadores de Tosas na verdadeira dimensão do termo.

Defendem a raça , as caracteristicas fundamentais e as primordiais (ver entrevista).

Defendem os cachorros adquiridos fazendo tanto quanto possivel uma selecção humanista dos proprietarios.

Defendem a integração Social da raça Tosa Ken em Portugal .

Considero-os verdadeiros embaixadores TOSA KEN.

Desta forma , obrigado aos dois!

Entrevista ao Sr. Hirose Ex-Presidente do Centro Tosa Ken ,Japão

The purpose of this article is to provide fascinating first hand facts about the Tosa. Mr. Hirose is a descendent of several generations of Tosa breeders. His grandmother, after the second world War, used Tosas to protect her cattle because of theft due to widespread hunger. Mr. Hirose has dedicated his life to the production of Tosas for tournaments celebrated all over Japan. He lives and works in Kochi, capitol of the prefecture of the same name,( called Tosa, in ancient times). His family is recognized as an important component by the Imperial family of Japan due to the cultural importance of preserving the Tosa. A cadre of knowledge, Mr. Hirose answered some of our questions when we encountered him at the airport of Madrid- Barajas. Some of these, without a doubt, would address issues which we desired to learn more about, showcasing this enigmatic breed of fighting dog unique in all the world.
What does a Tosa represent in Japan and what is it's relationship with Japanese Culture?
-Fighting dogs in Japan were first seen about two hundred years ago in the hands of noble 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 CHOZ-O-GABE; went on to establish the rules for dog fighting.But, when TOKU OAWA, the famous "EDO ELA" defeated CHOZ-O-GABE and rose to power, he wanted to eliminate CHOZ-O-GABE'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.
Did it seem strange that we should express an interest in the Tosa to the point of contacting you?
-No, because there are now many people outside Japan interested in the Tosa. In the beginning I could not understand why people would ask about Tosas and more Tosas, but, when I began to attend International Expositions outside Japan, I met people who would say only good things about Tosas. Many years ago in Japan, I had seen and liked Tosas, but I could not understand their greatness, probably because they were common in my family. I grew up surrounded by them. I had often thought of other dog breeds but, after traveling all over the world, I have not found anything similar to a Tosa, not in style, temperament or strength. I now realize that there is nothing like a Tosa. To even find a similar dog in all the world is something that is in fact impossible!
What about the Tosas in the United States?
-We believe that there are between 80 to 100 Tosas in North America. It all began when Jack Palace, an American actor, traveled to Kochi, Japan, to film a television program for the ABC Network. Upon seeing a Tosa for the very first time, he immediately began to search for Tosas asking the then Governor of Kochi, what he had to do to obtain a Tosa puppy. Not having Tosas available, the governor approached the Hirose family which eventually provided Palace with two puppies, one off which, the female, was named Ms. Kochi. Palace returned to his ranch with the puppies and successfully bred Tosas for approximately six years until his divorce, when most of the dogs were then sold. Getting back to Tosas in general; Mr. Hirose has indicated that if you see an American dog magazine there are Tosas from Korea and Taiwan, not from Japan, and sometimes the quality is questionable. I'm not saying these are not full bred Tosas because they do have pedigrees, simply that the quality is not there. In America there is a mixture of dogs of poor quality and others of excellent quality. Unfortunately the American Kennel Club does not recognize the Japanese Tosa-Inu and there isn't a forum of national magnitude which could provide the much needed exposure highlighting the virtues of the breed. We would like for Americans to see the real Tosa by way of a Japanese Tosa-Ken fighting dog and be assured that they have access to an authentic Japanese breed standard.
What would you tell me about the different bloodlines in Japan?
-First, you have to know how we produce Tosas from the start. In Japan there was a breed called the Shikoku-Inu which was originally from the area known as the prefecture of Kochi. We're used to calling this dog, of Shikoku, Tosa. However, this led to confusion, because there were two types of Tosas, one like the Shiba-Inu in type, the other, the Tosa of which we presently speak (a fighting Mastiff). So we changed the name of the Shikoku-Inu which is the name of an island. This Shikoku-Inu we crossed with Mastiffs, Great Danes, Bull Dogs among others, thus arriving at today's Tosa. The Tosa bloodlines in Japan are different, because as we said before, he was a Shikoku, a fox like creature, long and without many angles in the face. That is why upon seeing pictures of Tosas, you can appreciate different kinds of faces, but they are all correct and belong to the Tosa. The Tosa we have introduced and you are familiar with, is an improved product from only 80 years ago. That is why there are still some very young lines and consequently you can observe different pictures of Tosas, yet they are all the same breed.
Was it difficult to find a Tosa for us?
Yes, it was quite difficult, because in the Kochi prefecture there are only 350 Tosas, which is not a lot. When a foreigner wants a Tosa, they tell us its for exhibitions, but because Tosas are bred for the purpose of fighting, it takes time to obtain a dog that meets the requirements of the show standard, which include: good temperament, free of any disease or skin lesions that is why we waited for two years.
What type of care does a Tosa require?
-When the Old English Mastiff experts went to Kochi 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 consideration, the Tosa was originally produced through the Shikoku-Inu and the Mastiff (an English Breed). 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. Some of the largest Tosas can weigh 105 Kg. And although it's a lot, many of them have excellent bone structure, not unlike an English Mastiff. 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, then a change in diet might be required. In reference to diets, there is not much difference in the manner of caring for similar dogs like Fila, Mastiff and other large and long breeds because the Tosa was originally developed from Mastiffs such as these.
What would you tell Tosa breeders in Spain, USA and the World?
-Hirose says: "I have certain fears about the Tosa outside Japan. In the United States and Europe, many people see the possibilities and appreciate the qualities of the Tosa as a companion and guard dog, all while remembering it's history as a fighting dog. But believe me when the Tosa stops being a fighter, its facial expression will change, and I don't know if people would like a Tosa without the expression of having been a fighter. Between the ages of eight months to a year, many Tosas will simulate combat and they don't attack as if it were a game, understand? That is why upon preventing your pup from playing in this manner, and placing him in a crate or cage at home, you are depriving it of the opportunity to practice this simulation-ritual. The pup's expression will cease to develop if not allowed to socially interact in this manner with other puppies. I do not know how a Tosa will develop outside of Japan, without a companion, It's character would probably change to that of a companion dog. I hope to see within the next ten to twelve years, the changes made to the breed. This, of course, depends on the breedings and choices that the fanciers will make. I encourage to always strive to breed the best possible Tosa and obtain some really good dogs outside of Japan.

TOSA KEN , FOTOGRAFIAS DO NERO E DA YARA COM 3 MESES