Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain

This book was just so beautifully evocative and moving on so many levels. At the heart of the story are the Akita dogs, brought back from the brink of extinction after WWII by a few dedicated breeders including Morie Sawataishi, the extraordinary engineer and dog lover, and his wife, Kitako, an equally compelling personality. The Akita dogs themselves, and in particular one very special dog called Three Good Lucks, are described with great reverence as a breed which, at its best, embodies loyalty, intelligence, fighting spirit, a calm sweetness, even wisdom. There are some heartbreaking events involving the dogs that had me sobbing for days, but it is worth the pain to get to know these magnificent animals. But the author explains that as Akitas are bred more for their looks than for personality traits, their vital essential character may be disappearing. So, too, is the quiet rural life of the snow country in Japan, which was frought with hardships but also poetic in its Spartan beauty. Morie sees these national treasures slipping away. Symbolically, he plants hundreds of cherry trees around the power plants he helps build as a sort of visual apology to the region, as well as doing what he can to preserve the integrity of the Akita breed. The book is also memorable for its description of a mountain man, or matagi, named Uesugi. Although I found his profession of killing bears for their gall bladders repellant, he is an absolutely fascinating character with an ancient, shaman-like wisdom. Finally, the story of Morie and Kitako, in many ways an incompatible couple with different values, who learned to love and respect each other through the course of a long and often difficult marriage, was inspiring. The book is written in a lyrical style which compliments the romance of the subject matter, although it can occasionally be distracting. But I can only thank the author for bringing this rarest and most beautiful of stories to a wider audience.

Once I got into I loved this book. It gave me a very different perspective of what I have expected when I purchased this book. The dog man reminded me to someone who has a personality similar to one with Asperger syndrome - highly intelligent and hyperfocused in one area to the extend of neglecting everything else but I suppose his existential philosophy is also very much related to the Japanese culture and this dog man's unique coping style with the rapid development and paradigm shift in Japan's industrial development since it's capitulation in WWII. His intelligence and great contribution to the Japanese post war development is in striking contrast to his life style and strong desire to remain in accord with the nature of his home environment including the rescue of their native dogs. He is a man who drives to love a life as independent as possible and as close as possible to the nature of his home country by almost opposing westernized/American's acquisitions. Akita dogs are his close companions as they are best equipped to share his chosen life style.

I own a Chow Chow and somehow, as I was looking for books on the breed this book came up on an Amazon search. It must be because of the common ancestry the Chows have with the Akita. This book surprised me and I read it in two nights. It is a reflection of post war (WWII) Japan and reveals the culture and struggles people went through during this period. It talks about Morie and how he loves the Akita and brings them back from the brink of extinction to a national treasure. The book looks at the interactions that Morie has with the family, dogs and the natural world around him. The book is full of heartbreak and happiness. Overall the book makes me want to find a cabin in the woods and grow a garden and live a simple happy life.

If you love the Japanese Akita Inu - or any kind of dog - you will enjoy reading this true story. It is about the remarkable man and woman who, through the darkest days of WWII and the difficult years of rebuilding which followed, sacrificed city comforts and career... but managed to save a celebrated and unique breed. During the war years, especially, and despite the famous Hachikō story of pre-war years (look it up!), Akitas were being skinned for aviators' jackets and were generally considered an "antisocial" waste of food... in a society not accustomed to individualism or dissent. Under these horrible circumstances, Morie Sawataishi and his wife Kitako performed the ultimate rescue: They saved an entire line of splendid creatures, from a low point of only sixteen individuals. An inspirational story for sure.

If you love Akitas, this book is a must, or great gift for someone that does. Well researched and well written, this biography tells the story of one man in Japan who helped save this noble ancient breed from extinction. One is drawn into the realism of the tale of the times, the man, the culture, his family, I found myself very much submerged in this tale of love, passion, hardships and triumphs, ultimately a very moving true tale.

Great read. does give you more background on the Akita, however, I expected more "insight" from the book into the training, feeding and taking care of the Akita. This was more about the man that brought the Akita back from almost extinction due to crossbreeding and slaughter.

I don't own an Akita, but this book caught my eye because it was a different kind of story. The subjects of sexual discrimination, poverty, wartime in Japan, and the Morie's singlemindedness in raising dogs are explored. If you love Akitas, you'll love this book. If you're not a dog person, you'll like this book, but may not go ga-ga over it. I thought the writer jumped around a bit in telling the story, and could have been better with the continuity. But all in all, I recommend this interesting look at a life far different from ours in America.

Myself to read, how the Japanese Akita was saved from extinction by 1 man

This is the story of Morie Sawataishi, a Japanese man who loved nature, avoided cities, and above all, committed himself to the saving of the Akita, an ancient Japanese dog breed that was almost wiped out during WWII (their outstanding thick fur was used to line soldiers' suits). It traces his long, adult life, a life he shares with his devoted wife, and the years spent raising Akitas. He believed a dog should be allowed to live as a dog, not be coddled, to explore the wild outdoors, to run and be free, to not do tricks, not even "shake a paw". He must have been one of the unusual Japanese men that has ever lived, he thrived living in seclusion. His commitment to the resurrection of the Akita breed was recognized in his time; he was very famous. Today the Akita is world popular. It is unlikely Akitas would exist at all had it not been for the efforts of Morie Sawataishi, a stubborn visionary (he was a little hard on his family), who wanted nothing more than to be with his beloved dogs. I love dogs, this is a fascinating story, so it was very easy to enjoy this well written, thoughtful book.

Sherrill's 'Dog Man' is about Morie Sawataishi and his importance in saving the Akita breed after their numbers dwindled to 12-16 during the war. Having an Akita who was born in north Japan, this book was important to me and Sherrill's descriptions of the dogs involved reinforced my love of the breed.Akita's can be polarizing dogs. They're certainly not for everyone due to their attachment to their history. Morie called the Akita spirit, 'kishou'. The respect of the Akita attitude can be traced back thousands of years in Japanese history. Samurai's would often train with Akitas and try to replicate their fearlessness, their cleverness in battle (these are dogs that can single-handedly confront and subdue a bear) and their loyalty.And while Akita's are seen to most as undesirable 'pets' because of these traits, they do have balance. Their stubbornness is balanced by their calm and quiet demeanor; their solitary behaviour is balanced by their inimitable loyalty; and their comfort in the wild and prey instinct is balanced by how clean and easy they can live in city apartments. Over the last 50 years, people have tried to out-breed these traits using dogs like Great Danes and Shepherds. This led to a split in the breed, the American Akita and the Japanese Akita.The book is decently written and focuses on the dogs, and Morie and his wife Kitako living in the northern snow country. Sherrill tries to frame it about an individual in a society that has no time for individuals. She would have benefited if she better illustrated what it meant for Morie to keep a dog during war times; how desperate Japan had become where people were starving by the millions. For Morie to defy that because he understood how important Akita's were to the country would have set a better foundation to build on. Nonetheless, Morie's impact on the Akita does shine and anyone who lives with one should to appreciate what he did.

Amazing description of japanese culture, history, geography, of Morie's personal life and of Akitas. You feel as if you were really in the 'snow country'. As an Akita Inu guardian, the dogs were what I went looking for, and I found everything I expected and much more.

Really enjoyed book and it's a very good read , I would definatly recommend this to not only Akita owners but to others too , gives a great insight into some of the traits that still exist in the breed today and also shows what this man did to save the breed