Japanese Chin

Japanese Chin

An adult male Japanese Chin. A fully mature Chin's coat is long and full.
Other names	Japanese Spaniel
Common nicknames	Chin
Classification / standards FCI Group 9, Section 8 Japan Chin and Pekingese #206 standard AKC standard ANKC Group 1 (Toys) standard CKC Group 5 (Toys) standard KC (UK) Toy standard NZKC Toy standard UKC Companion Dogs standard
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

The Japanese Chin (Japanese: 狆, chin), also known as the Japanese Spaniel, is a dog acknowledged for its importance to Japanese nobility. It is also known for its strabismus of the eyes. Being both a lap dog and a companion dog, this toy breed has a distinctive heritage.

While most believe that the source breed for the Japanese Chin originated in China, the route by which the Chin arrived in Japan is a widely debated topic. One story claims that the dogs were given to the Japanese royalty in 732 AD as gifts from the rulers of Korea. Others maintain that they were given as gifts to the Empress of Japan as early as the middle of the sixth century or by the seventh century. Still others claim that the Chin first arrived in Japan around the year 1000 AD.

In Japan, dogs are usually viewed as working or helper animals. The Japanese Chin is unique in that they are owned strictly for companionship. Their distinct appearance and personality eventually captured the hearts of Japanese royalty and resulted in ownership being restricted to those of royal and noble blood.

Each noble house bred to their own standards. Because of this, there are many variations of the Japanese Chin including size, coat density, eye set, personality, and body type.

Once introduced to the West, a strong desire for Japanese Chin that were ten lbs. or less led to this weight becoming the standard of various kennel clubs around the world. Professor Ludwig von Schulmuth studied canine origins by looking at the skeletal remains of dogs found in human settlements as early as the 8th millennium BC. The professor created a genealogical tree of Tibetan dogs that shows the "Gobi Desert Kitchen Midden Dog", a scavenger, which evolved into the "Small Soft-Coated Drop-Eared Hunting Dog". From this evolved the Tibetan Spaniel, Pekingese, and the Japanese Chin. Another branch coming down from the "Kitchen Midden Dog" gave rise to the Papillon and long-haired Chihuahua and yet another "Kitchen Midden Dog" branch to the pug and Shih Tzu.