The History and Origins of the Tosa Inu is really interesting. The history of the Tosa Inu began in Japan and the first records or mention of this breed was from almost 1000 years ago. The Tosa Inu was originally bred specifically for dog fighting. What started off as a small Spitz type, Japanese Fighting Dog (Kochi or Shikoku Inu) got out of hand when Western and European traders started to cross the dog with their own breeds, such as Mastiffs, Old English Bulldogs, St Bernard, Great Dane, German Pointer and Bull Terrier. They did this in order to create a ferocious, powerful and fearless, much larger type of fighting dog. This left the original smaller dog unable to withstand attack from the newly developed Tosa Inu, which was to become king of the Japanese fighting arenas. This particular dog is strongly associated with ancient Japanese culture, history and traditions, and the samurai warrior clans.

The Tosa Inu was further developed in 1848 during the first year of Kaei when a Tosa resident crossed the dog with a bulldog that they had obtained from Kyushu, this began the creation of an even larger and more ferocious fighting dog. This blood sport was immensely popular throughout Japan and many dog fighting tournaments were held. This breed is the most feared of all Japanese canine breeds that were specifically bred to fight. When the start of the Second World War arrived, dog fighting and the ownership and feeding of 150 pound dogs became illegal in Japan and it was banned. During these times, the Tosa Inu was almost reduced to complete extinction, however, some Tosa enthusiasts hid a few Tosa Inus on the Hokkaido Island, Northern Japan until the war was over. The breeding of the Tosa Inu commenced once again in Tosa Wan after the war and dog fighting was once again legalized.

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