The Meaning of the Name Shiba Inu

I had a comment to my blog post yesterday that prompts me to write an extra blog post today. (Please do not forget to read the first blog entry.) What is the meaning of the name Shiba Inu?

Well, inu is Japanese for dog. This is the easy part of our breed's name.

The Shiba Inu has not any specific area in Japan where we come from, unlike the other original spitz breeds of Japan. Our origin is the whole of Japan, we have lived throughout the country since times immemorial. Thus, unlike the other breeds, the Shiba Inu cannot have a name from an area in Japan where we come from.

Shiba is the Japanese word for small. This may be the origin of the breed name, given that we are the smallest of the original Japanese breeds. There is, however, another explanation of our breed name. There is a certain kind of brushwood which, when dried, has the same red colour as red Shiba Inus. Red is, by far, the most common colour of Shiba Inus. This brushwood is also called shiba. Whether the dog breed has received its name from the brushwood or not is unclear. In my opinion, it may as well be that the brushwood has received its name from the Shiba Inu.

I believe in the explanation that Shiba Inu means "small dog". We are relatively small in body, if not in mind, and it is a simple and straightforward explanation. The true origin of the name is, however, from times immemorial, just like the breed. This is cool.