Miscellaneous Notes
  • IThe Shikoku Inu is also called the Kochi-Ken and Mikawa Inu.
  • Incredible though it may seem, the Shikoku Inu was used, together with Bulldogs, Great Danes, Mastiffs, Saint Bernards and German Pointers (?!) to create the mighty Tosa.

Breed Books
  • Japanese Dogs: Akita, Shiba, and Other Breeds by Michiko Chiba, Yuichi Tanabe, Takashi Tojo and Tsutomu Muraoka. Kodansha, 2003. An introduction to breeds developed in Japan, including the Shikoku.

Articles and Chapters
  • "Intra- and interbreed genetic variations of mitochondrial DNA major non-coding regions in Japanese native dog breeds (Canis familiaris)" by N Okumura, N Ishiguro, M Nakano, A Matsui, and M Sahara. In: Animal Genetics, December 1996, volume 27, issue 6, pg 397-405. Major non-coding regions of mitochondrial DNA were amplified through polymerase chain reamplification from 73 dogs of 8 Japanese dog breeds and 21 dogs of 16 non-Japanese breeds. Phylogenetic analysis calculated back approximately 100,000 years showed that the Japanese dog breeds cannot be clearly shown to be distinct breeds through this angle of analysis.
  • The Atlas of Dog Breeds of the World by Bonnie Wilcox and Chris Walkowicz. TFH Publications; 5th edition, 1995. A survey of over 500 breeds of dog, including many spitzes, with excellent photography.
  • "Genetic variants of hemoglobin in canine erythrocytes" by Y Tanabe, T Omi, and K Ota. In: Animal Blood Groups and Biochemical Genetics, 1978, vol 9, p 79-83. This study found that a single autosomal locus of two codominant alleles, HbA and HbB, controlled the phenotypic variation of hemoglobin in dogs. Of 37 breeds studied, all dogs of non-Japanese breeds were homozygous for HbB; the HbA allele appeared only in six native Japanese breeds (Akita, Hokkaido, Kishu, Ryukyu, Sanshu and Shiba), with the Shikoku being the only exception among native Japanese breeds tested.
  • "Genetic variants of glucose phosphate isomerase (E.C. 5.3.1.9) in canine erythrocytes" by Y Tanabe, T Omi and K Ota. In: Animal Blood Groups and Biochemical Genetics, 1977, vol 8, p 191-195. Canine erythrocytes were examined using starch gel electrophoresis. A polymorphism of glucose phosphate isomerase was found, with phenotypic variation controlled by one autosomal locus with two codominant alleles, GPIA and GPIB. Of 37 breeds tested, 4 Japanese breeds, including the Shikoku, were homozygous for GPIB, 5 non-Japanese Asian breeds and a single Dalmatian were heterozygous GPIA/GPIB, and all other dogs were homozygous for GPIA.
  • "Genetic polymorphism of eserine resistant esterases in canine plasma" by G Sugiura, Y Tanabe and K Ota. In: Animal Blood Groups and Biochemical Genetics, 1977, vol 8, p 121-126. A study of six plasma eserine resistant esterase phenotypes in 1438 dogs of 38 breeds. The authors found that the phenotypic variations were controlled by three codominant alleles, which they named ESA, ESB and ESC. ESB was common in most of the breeds, while ESC was seen only in the Akita, the Shikoku, the Hokkaido, Shinshu- and Mino-Shibas and "a spitz dog"; ESA was uncommon in Japanese breeds, but found more often in European dogs.
  • Nihonken Taikan by Shiro Itagaki. Seibundo Shinkosha, 1953 (reprinted in 1987). The title translates as "A Manual of the Japanese Dog"; the author was one of the founders of Nippo (Nippon Inu Hozonkai) the association formed in 1928 for the purpose of protecting the native dogs of Japan and which set forth the first standards for these breeds. In Japanese.

For Fun
  • "Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin" by Yoshihiro Takahashi. In: Shukan Shonen Janpu. A manga (Japanese comic book) series featuring anthropomorphized dogs living in the wild. Based on true stories of feral Shikokus, this series won a Shogakukan Manga award for best series of 1987. One of the main characters is Kurojaki, leader of the Koga Ninja pack of Shikokus. The story was made into an anime series.