The “Wasao Grand Prize” at the Osaka competition, where long-haired Akita dogs gather to showcase their charms, was held on October 27th in Izumiotsu City, Osaka Prefecture. Twenty-one dogs from across the country entered the competition. Haru (five-year-old female), owned by the couple Yoshinori and Mina Sato from Sayama City, Saitama Prefecture, won the grand prize.
At the event, owners highlighted their dogs’ characteristics and special skills. The audience voted for their favorite dogs to determine the winners.
According to the couple, Haru is on the smaller side for an Akita dog, with a short body weighing only 19 kilograms. To emphasize her size, they presented Haru alongside her standard-sized brother, Raidenmaru (one-year-old male), introducing Haru as a mame-kawa (tiny and cute) Akita dog. Her slow-moving “paw” gesture and her joy at seeing the clippers used for her grooming not only captured the hearts of many spectators but also intrigued them with her unique characteristics.
Yoshiyuki said, “We are truly grateful to win the grand prize on our first entry.” Mina also shared her thoughts by saying, “We want to spread the term ‘mame-kawa (tiny and cute)’ following the ‘busa-kawa (ugly but cute)’ trend started by Wasao.”
The Wasao Grand Prize originated from an event held in Ajigasawa Town, Aomori Prefecture, named after “Wasao,” a long-haired dog that was the signature dog of a grilled squid shop in the town and passed away in June 2020. The Osaka competition started in 2021 following a call from volunteers, including Tsuyoshi Kono, the owner of Kojiro (seven-year-old male), who won the grand prize in 2019. Kono said, “Through this competition, we would like to reduce discrimination and prejudice against long-haired Akita dogs.”
