柴犬 (日本犬)

The smallest (20–30 lb) of the Japanese native dogs, it was bred as a hunting dog. A medium-sized, muscular dog with a thick coat in all solid colors but often red. See also nippon inu.日本犬

Shiba Inu

Wikipedia article "Shiba Inu".

The Shiba Inu (柴犬, shiba inu or shiba ken^?) is the smallest of the six original and distinct breeds of dog from Japan.^[1]

A small, agile dog that copes very well with mountainous terrain, the Shiba Inu was originally bred for hunting.^[1][2] It is similar in appearance to the Akita, though much smaller in stature.

Inu is the Japanese word for dog, but the "Shiba" prefix's origin are less clear. The word shiba usually refers to a type of red shrub. This leads some to believe that the Shiba was named with this in mind, either because the dogs were used to hunt in wild shrubs, or because the most common color of the Shiba Inu is a red color similar to that of the shrubs. However, in old Japanese, the word shiba also had the meaning of "small", thus this might be a reference to the dog's small size. Therefore, the Shiba Inu is sometimes translated as "Little Brushwood Dog". ^[3]

From the Japanese breed standard:

The dog has a spirited boldness and is fiercely proud with a good nature and a feeling of artlessness. The Shiba is able to move quickly with nimble, elastic steps.

The terms "spirited boldness" (勇敢, yuukan^?), "good nature" (良性, ryōsei^?) and "artlessness" (素朴, soboku^?) have subtle interpretations that have been the subject of much commentary.^[7]