The Tosa dog is also known by the following names:

• Tosa Inu
• Tosa Token
• Tosa Ken
• Japanese Tosa
• Japanese mastiff
• Japanese Fighting Dog
• Tosa Fighting Dog

Banned in many a country on account of a combination of its immense power, size and fighting genetic ancestry, the Tosa Inu is truly a powerdog if ever one existed! The countries that take issue with Tosa ownership, some having outright banned the breed include:

• United kingdom
• Australia
• Ireland
• New Zealand
• Denmark
• Norway

The Tosa Inu despite being a Japanese dog breed is actually a dog breed of mixed ancestry (well to be honest…aren’t they all). Fed up of losing dog fights to the various imported breeds, the local Japanese breeders decided to beef up their local fighting dog breeds.

What they had in mind was the ultimate fighting dog breed, a dog that would have greart endurance, power, strength and the sheer will and ability to take on and defeat any canine opponent!

To develop such a powerdog, the Japanese breeders crossed their local fighting dog, the Nihon Inu with the following dog breeds over a period of years as follows:

• Bulldogs in 1872
• Mastiffs in 1874
• German Pointers in 1876
• Great Danes in 1924

The period between 1924 and 1933 has been described as the boom period of Tosa Inu breeding where there were said to be more than 5,000 Tosa breeders in Japan.

The final result of the Tosa Inu breeding and development program was a powerful giant of a dog that was equipped and prepared to do battle to the death in complete and utter silence!

Despite its massive size the Tosa Inu has incredible stamina and equally incredible agility.

In size the Tosa Inu varies considerably from region to region. Japanese bred Tosa dogs are typically smaller than dogs bred from other countries. Japanese Tosa dogs range in weight from 80 – 130 lbs, whereas breeders from other countries (notably the United States) prefer larger dogs that range in weight from 130 lbs – 200 lbs (60 – 100 kg) and in height extend from 24.5 inches to 32 inches.

Due to its fighting ancestry, immense size, power and strength the Tosa Inu is obviously not a dog to be taken lightly and requires a lot of socialization. Evidently it is also not recommended for the average dog owner!

Article on Tosa written by Kayye Nynne