This breed used to be called the Japanese Spaniel, the Japanese Pug or simply the Japanese, but today, in English, it is always referred to as the Japanese Chin, or the Chin. Its early nickname was the Jap. It began life as a revered lapdog of the nobility. One school of thought claims that the name ‘Chin’ means ‘of China, and indicates that it came to Japan from that country; another suggests that it means ‘cat-like’.
This is a graceful, high-stepping, ancient breed whose image can be seen on early Japanese pottery, tapestries, silks and temple walls. There are four theories concerning the dog’s origin:
1.It was brought to Japan from China by Buddhist monks in. the 6th century AD. These monks are supposed to have been accompanied by their little Lion Dogs, which symbolized the Lion of Buddha, and some of these dogs remained to develop into the Chin.
2.It originated in Korea as a breed called the Ssuchan Pai and, in the year AD 732, was brought to the Japanese court as a gift from a Korean prince.
3.It arrived as a royal gift from the Chinese rulers for the Japanese Emperor, brought back by his envoys, returning from China some time between the seventh and tenth centuries.
4.It was taken to Japan on trading ships that came from the West.
Once in Japan, by one or more of these routes, it was developed and modified until it had become the dog we know today, making it a truly Japanese breed. At first it was exclusively owned by the Japanese nobility and was not available to the general public. It lived a pampered existence and it is rumoured that, in an effort to keep the breed’s size small, the dogs were given a diet of rice and saki. The penalty for stealing one of these noble animals was death.
The first examples of this breed to reach Europe were brought back by Portuguese sailors, probably in the 17th century. In England it was first exhibited in 1873 at the Birmingham show. It appeared in America in 1882 and was registered with the AKC as early as 1888. The Japanese Spaniel Club of America was founded in 1912. (The named was changed to the Japanese Chin. Club in 1977.) After World War II, the population of this breed inside Japan was so depleted that new bloodstock had to be imported from England and elsewhere.
This breed has a luxuriant, silky coat, an up-curled tail, a flattish face and drooping ears. In colour it is either black-and-white or brown-and-white (in various shades of `brown’, from lemon to red). It is a very small dog, having a height of only 9 in (23 cm) and a weight of only 4-7 lb (2-3 kg). It is the Japanese counterpart of the King Charles Spaniel, the Tibetan Spaniel or the ‘,old-style) Pekingese.
According to one Asian authority, the five rules of Japanese Chin beauty used to be: (I) the butterfly head; (2) the sacred V (a white V-shape marking on the head); (3) the bump of knowledge (a round black spot between the ears); (4) the vulture feet; and (5) the chrysanthemum tail.
In personality it has been described as the perfect companion, elegant but comical, dignified but prepared to be playful. It is alert, quick to learn and sensitive. Unlike many breeds, it is prepared to live in quite a small space, making it the ideal apartment dog, but even so, it enjoys a daily walk. It used to be said that, in developing the breed, the Japanese tried to create a blend of cat and dog in other words, a feline dog. It is certainly true that in several ways the little Chin is rather catlike: it jumps well, climbs deftly, is fastidious and is feline in the way it uses its front feet. A special point in its favour is that, unlike some other lapdogs, it is not `yappy’ and rarely barks.
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