Akita

/euh kee"teuh/, n.

1. a seaport on N Honshu, in N Japan, on the Sea of Japan. 284,830.

2. (sometimes l.c.) one of a Japanese breed of large, muscular dogs having a broad head with erect ears, a stiff coat of brown, red, black, or brindle color, and a long tail curled over its back, originally bred for hunting, now often used as a guard dog.

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Breed of working dog that originated in the mountains of northern Japan.

In 1931 the Japanese government designated the breed as a national treasure. It is a powerful, muscular dog with a broad head, erect pointed ears, and a large curved tail carried over the back or curled against the flank. Colours and markings vary, including all-white, brindle, and pinto. All but the white akitas bear a distinct mask (dark area around the muzzle). Males stand 26–28 in. (66–71 cm) high, females 24–26 in. (60–66 cm).

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▪ breed of dog

 breed of working dog that originated in the mountains of northern Japan. In 1931 the Japanese government designated the breed as a national treasure. It was employed as a hunting and fighting dog and is now trained for police and guard work. The Akita is a powerful, muscular dog with a broad head, erect, pointed ears (small in relation to head size), and a large curved tail carried over the back or curled against the flank. Akitas are bred in a variety of colours and markings, including all-white, brindle, and pinto. Except for the white, all Akitas bear a distinct mask (dark area around the muzzle).

      The first Akita was brought to the United States by Helen Keller in 1937, a puppy having been presented to her as a gift during a tour of Japan. Akitas were admitted into the show classifications of the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1973. According to AKC standards, males must be 26 to 28 inches (66 to 71 cm) tall, females 24 to 26 inches (61 to 66 cm), weighing 75 to 110 pounds (165 to 242 kg).

▪ prefecture, Japan

 ken (prefecture), northwestern Honshu, Japan, on the Sea of Japan coast. Its area of 4,483 square miles (11,612 square km) is divided between lowlands (west) and a plateau region (east). The Hachiman Plateau is dotted with volcanoes such as Mount Komaga (5,371 feet [1,637 m]), near the eastern border with Iwate prefecture. The plateau is covered with white fir trees and alpine plants that grow amid fissures yielding steam, smoke, and boiling mud. In the extreme northeast, on the border with Aomori prefecture, is Towada Lake, which is the central feature of Towada-Hachimantai National Park.

      Akita Plain, west of the Ōu and Dewa mountain ranges, is crossed by rivers flowing into the Sea of Japan. Chief among them are the Yoneshiro River (north), the Omono River (central), and the Ishizawa River (south). Hachirō Lagoon, on the Oga Peninsula, was once the second largest body of water in Japan after Lake Biwa and was about 50 miles (80 km) in circumference, but it was almost totally reclaimed for rice cultivation during the 10-year period after 1958.

      Lumbering is also important in the prefecture. Mineral wealth includes deposits of copper, sulfur, lead, and manganese. Before and immediately after World War II, oil refineries were operated in Akita, along the Sea of Japan, but as crude-oil imports rose sharply, the oil refineries moved to the Pacific coast for convenience of importing. Akita city, the prefecture capital and major city, still produces some petroleum products and chemicals; it is served by the outport of Tsuchizakiminato. Akita University, founded in 1949, is located there. Noshiro is known for its wood products. Other important towns are Honjō, Oga, Yokote, and Ōdate. Pop. (1990) city, 302,359; prefecture, 1,227,491.

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