DOGS USED BY THE JAPANESE TO BREED THE TOSA-INU 

This is the final product of the old fashion Japanese bloodlines which produced the contemporary TOSA (a functional dog bred for performance) without the modification of the modern showdogs. 

This picture shows the SHIKOKU-INU. Decendents of this race span from Japan to Western Europe. The SHIKOKU-INU displayed exhibits exceptional characteristics in spite of the fact that he was a small dog. Courage, skill, and stamina allowed for it to be chosen as a reference point from which a variety of cross breeding followed, to bring us the powerful and invincible warrior the JAPANESE TOSA-INU.

This breed goes back to medium-sized dogs that existed in Japan in ancient times. The Shikoku was bred as a hunting dog, mainly for hunting boar in the mountainous districts of Kochi Prefecture. It is sometimes called "Kochi-ken" (ken = dog). There were three varieties of this breed-Awa, Hongawa and Hata-all named after the area where they were bred. Among them, the Hongawa maintained the highest degree of purity, because the breeding area was not easily accessible from anywhere.
These dogs are tough and sufficiently agile to run through a montainous region. They are characterized by their sesame colored coats. The breed took on the name of the region and was designated as a "natural monument" in 1937.

This picture of an ENGLISH MASTIFF. She was used in the cross breeding of the TOSA-INU.

This is a picture of a Great Dane (ALANO), took part of this wonderful process.

The Pointer (English Pointer) was also another breed used for the development of theTOSA-INU.

This is a picture of an English Bullmastiff, part of the process to develop the TOSA-INU.