 The ancestors of the American Akita were originally a variety of the Japanese Akita, a form that was not desired in Japan due to the markings, and which is not eligible for show competition.The story of Hachikō, the most revered Akita of all time, helped push the Akita into the international dog world.Hachikō was born in 1923 and owned by Professor Hidesaburō Ueno of Tokyo.