The Legacy of Kennel Shirai
What Kominka Breeder Carries Forward
Half a Century of Devotion to Japanese Dogs
Kennel Shirai was founded in 1969 in Kanagawa Prefecture as a general pet shop. Five years later, it made a decisive shift — becoming a specialist kennel focused exclusively on Akita Inu and Shiba Inu.
For more than fifty years, Shirai pursued a single ideal: the authentic beauty of Japanese dogs — not only by the breed standard, but infused with the Japanese sensibility of wabi-sabi. Rather than chasing trends, Shirai sought dogs of enduring character. That was the philosophy.
A Kennel Known Around the World
Shirai's reputation extended well beyond Japan. As a widely respected breeder of Akita Inu and Shiba Inu, the kennel was featured in media both at home and abroad:
TBS NEWS DIG / MBS (April 2022) "The Japanese breeder who delivered an Akita Inu to Ukraine — the story of 'Hachiko of Mykhailiivka'"
Sputnik Q&A (2017) "Why are Japanese dogs so popular in Russia? — A video interview with the breeder"
Ameba "In Search of Hachiko the Akita Inu, Part III — A Heated Exchange Between Japanese and Italian Breeders"
The Inheritance: Kominka Breeder
The founder of Kennel Shirai stepped back from active breeding in 2025, having reached his eighties. Yet the bloodlines and the philosophy — the half-century pursuit of a particular beauty — have not come to an end.
They live on at Kominka Breeder in Nara Prefecture. The signboard, the bloodline, the philosophy — all were passed directly from Shirai. The location has changed, but the lineage of the dogs and the wabi-sabi eye for Japanese dogs remains unchanged.
About the Bloodline
Kennel Shirai has always been affiliated with the Nihonken Hozonkai (Japanese Dog Preservation Society), registering all dogs with this organization. When introducing new bloodlines, Shirai drew exclusively from breeders within the Society who had earned the highest regard — building a lineage of carefully selected, exceptional genetics over many decades.
As with Kobe beef or Kagoshima black pork, quality varies. Not all Shiba Inu are the same. Every puppy at Kominka Breeder is a direct descendant of this rigorously maintained bloodline.