On February 9th, 2023, the Akita Dog Preservation Society, a public interest incorporated association, announced it is holding its spring exhibition in Daisen City, Akita, on May 3rd, 2023. It was an exceptional move, as the spring exhibition has been held for over 80 years in Odate City, Akita, where the preservation society is headquartered. Takashi Endo, Chairman of the Preservation Society, decided the venue would take place in the second parking lot of the Omagari Civic Hall.
In January 2023, the preservation society announced its decision to change the venue due to the Odate City Council’s rejection of the petition subsidy for the renovation of the Akita Inu Kaikan, where the headquarters is based. The Board of Directors entrusted Chairman Endo with the final decision of the venue’s location and selected Daisen City or Yokote City as the final candidates. On February 2nd, Chairman Endo notified each branch by fax that it had decided to have the exhibition in the second parking lot of the Omagari Civic Hall.
Mr. Masami Hamada, 84, who lives in Daisen City and serves as the president of the Southern Akita Branch and the Tohoku-Hokkaido General Branch, said, “I am very grateful to hear of the decision because I had hoped to hold the exhibition in the southern part of the prefecture at least once in my life. I will do my best to make this exhibition live up to the history of the Spring Headquarters Exhibition.”
On the other hand, Mr. Takashi Togashi, president of the Northern Branch and lives in Odate City, said, “It is regrettable that the exhibition will not be held in Odate, the birthplace of Akita dogs, but we will cooperate in holding the exhibition for the sake of owners who have prepared to exhibit their dogs. We expect next year’s exhibition to take place in Odate City.”
