The Akita today is the modern-day large-sized descendant of the ancient Japanese dog whose likeness has been found carved in the tombs of the early Japanese people.Historical records cite the breed's development early in the seventeenth century. A famous nobleman was exiled to Akita Prefecture, the northernmost province of the island of Honshu, Japan, and ordered to live out his days as a provincial ruler. This nobleman had an ardent interest in dogs and encouraged the land barons in his domain to compete in the breeding of a large, versatile, intelligent hunting dog. Through generations of selective breeding there evolved the Akita, a dog of superior size and frame, endowed with keen hunting abilities, powerful working attributes and a fearless spirit.

Once ownership was restricted to the Imperial family and aristrocats only however, several times during the next three hundred years the breed suffered near extinction. In 1927, the Akitainu Hozankai society of Japan was established to preserve the purity of the Akita breed. In July 1931, the government of Japan designated the Akita breed as a national monument and as one of the Japan's national treasures.