Hokkaido Ken: Japan's Unknown Treasure
Redmond, Washington | Film Feature
Documentary, History
The Hokkaido Ken is one of the oldest breeds in the world. They are beloved family companions, historic partners to the Ainu people, and a Living Natural Monument of Japan. Meet the Hokkaido Ken and the dedicated teams fighting to preserve them for future generations. Will you join them?
Hokkaido Ken: Japan's Unknown Treasure
Redmond, Washington | Film Feature
Documentary, History
1 Campaigns | Washington, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $8,075 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
17 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
The Hokkaido Ken is one of the oldest breeds in the world. They are beloved family companions, historic partners to the Ainu people, and a Living Natural Monument of Japan. Meet the Hokkaido Ken and the dedicated teams fighting to preserve them for future generations. Will you join them?
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
.png)
The Hokkaido Inu (commonly called Hokkaido Ken; also Seta or Ainu Ken) is one of the Nihon Ken—Spitz-like dogs native to Japan—sharing the designation with familiar faces like the Shiba Inu and Japanese Akitainu. They were developed in the northern Hokkaido Prefecture and were historically raised by the Ainu people. With deep affection for their family and the courage to defend against bears, the Hokkaido Ken was a valuable working dog and companion in Ainu villages. Their disposition makes them well suited to a variety of sports and activities—like hiking, lure coursing, agility, sledding, and even hunting. Today, the Hokkaido is in steep decline and facing the threat of extinction, but breeders across Japan, Europe, and the United States are dedicated to their conservation. Below is a chart showing the most recent birth statistics of the Hokkaido in Japan, outlining the significant and immediate danger the breed is facing.
Graphic provided by the British Association of Hokkaido Ken (BAHK)
.png)
Hokkaido are a rare breed, but have you ever seen one? The odds might be better than you think! Hokkaido are often mistaken for Shiba Inu due to their similar appearance. However, the Hokkaido is slightly larger, more robust, and comes in an additional color (brindle) that is not seen in Shiba. They are double-coated, so you might see them fluffy or sleek depending on the season. While they're rare to encounter in person, the Hokkaido has made its mark on popular culture, especially in Japan. If you've ever watched Golden Kamuy or seen an advertisement for SoftBank, you've probably seen a Hokkaido Ken! And if you've ever seen one in person, you've probably also heard them—they've got impressive range when it comes to sounds.
.png)
The Hokkaido Ken is not well known even in its native Japan. This film aims to shine a light on the breed's history and share the appeal of the Hokkaido Ken more broadly with the world. Covering their historic roots in Ainu society, their place in the Ainu worldview, the dedicated efforts of breed stewards to maintain the breed in the post-war period, the activities of modern Hokkaido and their owners, and challenges faced by the remaining Hokkaido breeders contributing to their current dire straits, we hope our film can encourage more people to consider the Hokkaido as their next canine companion and contribute to their conservation. This film is both a monument to the history of a beloved breed and an effort to preserve it for future generations.
The Experts
Our film will include interviews with both US- and Japan-based experts on the Hokkaido Ken and on Ainu culture and history. We have already spoken to a few breeders, owners, and members of the Hokkaido Association of North America here in the US. Our trip to Japan will allow us to connect with breeders there to better understand the challenges they are facing—of course, we'll also meet their dogs while we're there! Our film is being produced in collaboration with the Hokkaido Inu Hozonkai (北海道犬保存会), which is the primary preservation society for Hokkaido in Japan. This will give us access to not only a list of experienced and respected breeders, but also a trove of archival materials and information not widely available, especially outside of Japan. We also plan to speak with representatives from Ainu communities and cultural institutions in Japan, who can teach us about the unfortunate decline of Ainu culture more broadly. We'll learn more about the vibrant Ainu culture and ongoing efforts to ensure it survives for future generations. Through these conversations, we hope to gain a better understanding of the presence of dogs in the Ainu worldview and their historical bond. We also hope to access Hozonkai archival materials that will shed more light on their history in Japan—a history already rich with perseverance. Additionally, we welcome any testimony or footage current or former Hokkaido owners worldwide would like to provide!
Where We're Going
Below is a non-exhaustive list of some of the places we plan to visit this spring to conduct interviews with Hokkaido breeders and Ainu cultural experts and capture Hokkaido's natural beauty.
Hokkaido Inu Hozonkai Headquarters Exhibition (May 2026)
Nibutani, Biratori, Hokkaido and the Nibutani Ainu Cultural Museum
Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park
Lake Akan Ainu Kotan
Daisetsuzan National Park
Asahikawa, Hokkaido
Hokkaido breed kennels across Japan
.png)
Donations will, first and foremost, be used to pay local talent in Japan. Could we film everything ourselves? Sure, I guess, but we would rather hire professionals in cinematography, sound, and interpretation to ensure you get the best experience possible. We want to make sure we can pay market rates for all our talent—no shortchanging artists and professionals. But if we go above and beyond what we're funding for, we have some exciting stretch goals to make our film even better:
$8,000
Greenlight! This is what we must raise to get any of that cash. We'll figure it out from here.
$10,000
Our film is fully funded! The crew is secured and we're prepared to trek across Hokkaido this spring for the best visuals, sounds, and stories we can find.
$12,000
Additional shooting in Japan: We are traveling early in the year to capture specific event footage and ensure we have time to edit to release our film next year. However, the ideal scenery to capture the Hokkaido Ken is in winter. This will allow us to visit Japan again in December for additional footage of the dogs in their favorite weather.
$15,000
Global accessibility: This ensures we'll be able to provide full professional subtitling in both Japanese and English to best capture the multilingual nature of our film and make it more accessible to our biggest audiences. This is our biggest post-production goal—funding it now guarantees it will happen.
$20,000
Additional filming in Europe: Conservation is led by Japan, but it's a global effort. Responsible, geographically dispersed conservation guards against risk. With this funding, we'll be able to travel even further afield to capture additional footage and interviews and better understand the perspectives of those helping the breed thrive abroad while keeping Japanese organizations and breed standards at the helm.
A note about incentives: If we do not get the "greenlight," you will not be charged. The only incentives that will be delivered in that case are the virtual ones you receive before the campaign ends.
How Else Can I Help?
We get it—money is tight these days. If you want to help but can't spare the funds at the moment, don't worry! We appreciate any and all efforts to get the word out about our campaign—and we're always looking ahead to the future. Whether you think you could help with pre-production, production, post-production, marketing, or distribution, we would love to have you in our corner!
Share, share, share!
We need as many dog lovers, history buffs, and Japanese culture fans as possible to be aware of our campaign. Share this campaign with anyone who might be interested! If you get a digital reward from us, like the virtual title rosette or trading card at the $25 tier, that's a great conversation starter!
Work with us!
If you are a Japan-based cinematographer, sound technician, or Japanese-to-English interpreter, we want to hear from you! Please get in contact with us!
Be a part of our marketing campaign!
Are you involved with programming at a Japanese culture festival, anime convention, or dog/film/Japan-related institution? Please share our campaign with your fanbase and contact us about arranging a screening!
Hokkaido owner? Send us videos!
We'd love more candid footage of your pups doing their thing. Don't worry about the format—we'll figure it out on our end!
Contact your reps!
If you live in a country that's cracking down on dog imports (like the US and the UK), call or write to you representatives to express your concern about the effects these restrictions have on ethical breeding programs and the conservation of rare breeds like the Hokkaido.
.png)
Hokkaido Ken are going extinct, and fast. We need more owners, and we need more breeders, both in Japan and abroad. Not enough people around the world know about Hokkaido Ken, so how could they possibly know whether they'd like to have one in their life? On top of that, current breeders are facing unprecendented challenges, and dog import laws in multiple countries are only making things harder for ethical, conservation-minded dog lovers to keep the population thriving. This film is an attempt to shed light on, and start to remedy, those issues. Because the dogs can't afford to wait, we're making this film ASAP. We will be shooting in Japan in May, with additional work across North America happening this year. We expect to have the film ready for festivals, conventions, Japanese cultural fairs, and more by 2027.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Operator
Costs $2,800
To help pay a local camera op who will capture the beauty of Hokkaido and the fun of Hokkaido dogs!
Travel within Japan
Costs $1,000
To cover the cost of a car rental to take us across Hokkaido. (*Dog for illustrative purposes only. Do not let dogs drive cars.)
Sound Technician
Costs $2,500
A sound tech who will get expert audio of our interviews and capture the ambient sounds of Hokkaido, from the kennels to the mountains!
Japanese-to-English Interpreter
Costs $2,500
To help pay a native-level speaker who can help us capture the nuance of our conversations and dig even deeper.
Incidentals
Costs $1,200
To offset the cost of filming on the road—from food to parking to admission fees.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Right now, our team is just three (two humans and a pup)—but that's where you come in! We are crowdfunding partially so we can hire local talent on the ground in Japan to round out our crew. We're prepared to do the heavy lifting ourselves, but we believe more experts on-hand will help us create the film you and the Hokkaido deserve.
Akira is the face of our campaign. He's our three-year-old Hokkaido boy here to show you what they're all about. He is mostly responsible for zoomies, looking cute, and making sure the treats are all...taken care of. He's not the only Hokkaido in our film, but he's the one you'll see most often while we're starting out.
Amy is Akira's mom-person and the de facto production manager, administrator, and researcher for this film. She holds an MA in Japanese Studies from Columbia University, works in Japanese-to-English localization, and has spent time living and studying in Japan. As the resident "Hokkaido Ken subject matter expert," she's the one planning and conducting most of the interviews. She's also the person making the travel plans, managing the website, and handling the funds. Anything that involves a spreadsheet or sounds like "planning" goes through her.
Jared is Akira's dad-person. A Seattle Film Institute-educated creator, he's the filmmaking part of this filmmaking crew. He is the film's director, the editor of our campaign video, the primary camera operator for US-based shoots, and will likely end up running a camera at least part-time in Japan (along with whatever else needs done on the ground!) If it's related to tech, vision, or artistic style, he's probably involved.
Loki, another beloved member of our crew, passed away unexpectedly in January at the age of 12. Although he wasn't a Hokkaido, he was Akira's best friend, and you'll catch a glimpse of him in some of our photos and existing footage. This film is dedicated to him.
.JPG)
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
The Hokkaido Inu (commonly called Hokkaido Ken; also Seta or Ainu Ken) is one of the Nihon Ken—Spitz-like dogs native to Japan—sharing the designation with familiar faces like the Shiba Inu and Japanese Akitainu. They were developed in the northern Hokkaido Prefecture and were historically raised by the Ainu people. With deep affection for their family and the courage to defend against bears, the Hokkaido Ken was a valuable working dog and companion in Ainu villages. Their disposition makes them well suited to a variety of sports and activities—like hiking, lure coursing, agility, sledding, and even hunting. Today, the Hokkaido is in steep decline and facing the threat of extinction, but breeders across Japan, Europe, and the United States are dedicated to their conservation. Below is a chart showing the most recent birth statistics of the Hokkaido in Japan, outlining the significant and immediate danger the breed is facing.
Graphic provided by the British Association of Hokkaido Ken (BAHK)
Hokkaido are a rare breed, but have you ever seen one? The odds might be better than you think! Hokkaido are often mistaken for Shiba Inu due to their similar appearance. However, the Hokkaido is slightly larger, more robust, and comes in an additional color (brindle) that is not seen in Shiba. They are double-coated, so you might see them fluffy or sleek depending on the season. While they're rare to encounter in person, the Hokkaido has made its mark on popular culture, especially in Japan. If you've ever watched Golden Kamuy or seen an advertisement for SoftBank, you've probably seen a Hokkaido Ken! And if you've ever seen one in person, you've probably also heard them—they've got impressive range when it comes to sounds.
The Hokkaido Ken is not well known even in its native Japan. This film aims to shine a light on the breed's history and share the appeal of the Hokkaido Ken more broadly with the world. Covering their historic roots in Ainu society, their place in the Ainu worldview, the dedicated efforts of breed stewards to maintain the breed in the post-war period, the activities of modern Hokkaido and their owners, and challenges faced by the remaining Hokkaido breeders contributing to their current dire straits, we hope our film can encourage more people to consider the Hokkaido as their next canine companion and contribute to their conservation. This film is both a monument to the history of a beloved breed and an effort to preserve it for future generations.
The Experts
Our film will include interviews with both US- and Japan-based experts on the Hokkaido Ken and on Ainu culture and history. We have already spoken to a few breeders, owners, and members of the Hokkaido Association of North America here in the US. Our trip to Japan will allow us to connect with breeders there to better understand the challenges they are facing—of course, we'll also meet their dogs while we're there! Our film is being produced in collaboration with the Hokkaido Inu Hozonkai (北海道犬保存会), which is the primary preservation society for Hokkaido in Japan. This will give us access to not only a list of experienced and respected breeders, but also a trove of archival materials and information not widely available, especially outside of Japan. We also plan to speak with representatives from Ainu communities and cultural institutions in Japan, who can teach us about the unfortunate decline of Ainu culture more broadly. We'll learn more about the vibrant Ainu culture and ongoing efforts to ensure it survives for future generations. Through these conversations, we hope to gain a better understanding of the presence of dogs in the Ainu worldview and their historical bond. We also hope to access Hozonkai archival materials that will shed more light on their history in Japan—a history already rich with perseverance. Additionally, we welcome any testimony or footage current or former Hokkaido owners worldwide would like to provide!
Where We're Going
Below is a non-exhaustive list of some of the places we plan to visit this spring to conduct interviews with Hokkaido breeders and Ainu cultural experts and capture Hokkaido's natural beauty.
Hokkaido Inu Hozonkai Headquarters Exhibition (May 2026)
Nibutani, Biratori, Hokkaido and the Nibutani Ainu Cultural Museum
Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park
Lake Akan Ainu Kotan
Daisetsuzan National Park
Asahikawa, Hokkaido
Hokkaido breed kennels across Japan
Donations will, first and foremost, be used to pay local talent in Japan. Could we film everything ourselves? Sure, I guess, but we would rather hire professionals in cinematography, sound, and interpretation to ensure you get the best experience possible. We want to make sure we can pay market rates for all our talent—no shortchanging artists and professionals. But if we go above and beyond what we're funding for, we have some exciting stretch goals to make our film even better:
$8,000
Greenlight! This is what we must raise to get any of that cash. We'll figure it out from here.
$10,000
Our film is fully funded! The crew is secured and we're prepared to trek across Hokkaido this spring for the best visuals, sounds, and stories we can find.
$12,000
Additional shooting in Japan: We are traveling early in the year to capture specific event footage and ensure we have time to edit to release our film next year. However, the ideal scenery to capture the Hokkaido Ken is in winter. This will allow us to visit Japan again in December for additional footage of the dogs in their favorite weather.
$15,000
Global accessibility: This ensures we'll be able to provide full professional subtitling in both Japanese and English to best capture the multilingual nature of our film and make it more accessible to our biggest audiences. This is our biggest post-production goal—funding it now guarantees it will happen.
$20,000
Additional filming in Europe: Conservation is led by Japan, but it's a global effort. Responsible, geographically dispersed conservation guards against risk. With this funding, we'll be able to travel even further afield to capture additional footage and interviews and better understand the perspectives of those helping the breed thrive abroad while keeping Japanese organizations and breed standards at the helm.
A note about incentives: If we do not get the "greenlight," you will not be charged. The only incentives that will be delivered in that case are the virtual ones you receive before the campaign ends.
How Else Can I Help?
We get it—money is tight these days. If you want to help but can't spare the funds at the moment, don't worry! We appreciate any and all efforts to get the word out about our campaign—and we're always looking ahead to the future. Whether you think you could help with pre-production, production, post-production, marketing, or distribution, we would love to have you in our corner!
Share, share, share!
We need as many dog lovers, history buffs, and Japanese culture fans as possible to be aware of our campaign. Share this campaign with anyone who might be interested! If you get a digital reward from us, like the virtual title rosette or trading card at the $25 tier, that's a great conversation starter!
Work with us!
If you are a Japan-based cinematographer, sound technician, or Japanese-to-English interpreter, we want to hear from you! Please get in contact with us!
Be a part of our marketing campaign!
Are you involved with programming at a Japanese culture festival, anime convention, or dog/film/Japan-related institution? Please share our campaign with your fanbase and contact us about arranging a screening!
Hokkaido owner? Send us videos!
We'd love more candid footage of your pups doing their thing. Don't worry about the format—we'll figure it out on our end!
Contact your reps!
If you live in a country that's cracking down on dog imports (like the US and the UK), call or write to you representatives to express your concern about the effects these restrictions have on ethical breeding programs and the conservation of rare breeds like the Hokkaido.
Hokkaido Ken are going extinct, and fast. We need more owners, and we need more breeders, both in Japan and abroad. Not enough people around the world know about Hokkaido Ken, so how could they possibly know whether they'd like to have one in their life? On top of that, current breeders are facing unprecendented challenges, and dog import laws in multiple countries are only making things harder for ethical, conservation-minded dog lovers to keep the population thriving. This film is an attempt to shed light on, and start to remedy, those issues. Because the dogs can't afford to wait, we're making this film ASAP. We will be shooting in Japan in May, with additional work across North America happening this year. We expect to have the film ready for festivals, conventions, Japanese cultural fairs, and more by 2027.
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Camera Operator
Costs $2,800
To help pay a local camera op who will capture the beauty of Hokkaido and the fun of Hokkaido dogs!
Travel within Japan
Costs $1,000
To cover the cost of a car rental to take us across Hokkaido. (*Dog for illustrative purposes only. Do not let dogs drive cars.)
Sound Technician
Costs $2,500
A sound tech who will get expert audio of our interviews and capture the ambient sounds of Hokkaido, from the kennels to the mountains!
Japanese-to-English Interpreter
Costs $2,500
To help pay a native-level speaker who can help us capture the nuance of our conversations and dig even deeper.
Incidentals
Costs $1,200
To offset the cost of filming on the road—from food to parking to admission fees.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Direct link:
Share this update!
About This Team
Right now, our team is just three (two humans and a pup)—but that's where you come in! We are crowdfunding partially so we can hire local talent on the ground in Japan to round out our crew. We're prepared to do the heavy lifting ourselves, but we believe more experts on-hand will help us create the film you and the Hokkaido deserve.
Akira is the face of our campaign. He's our three-year-old Hokkaido boy here to show you what they're all about. He is mostly responsible for zoomies, looking cute, and making sure the treats are all...taken care of. He's not the only Hokkaido in our film, but he's the one you'll see most often while we're starting out.
Amy is Akira's mom-person and the de facto production manager, administrator, and researcher for this film. She holds an MA in Japanese Studies from Columbia University, works in Japanese-to-English localization, and has spent time living and studying in Japan. As the resident "Hokkaido Ken subject matter expert," she's the one planning and conducting most of the interviews. She's also the person making the travel plans, managing the website, and handling the funds. Anything that involves a spreadsheet or sounds like "planning" goes through her.
Jared is Akira's dad-person. A Seattle Film Institute-educated creator, he's the filmmaking part of this filmmaking crew. He is the film's director, the editor of our campaign video, the primary camera operator for US-based shoots, and will likely end up running a camera at least part-time in Japan (along with whatever else needs done on the ground!) If it's related to tech, vision, or artistic style, he's probably involved.
Loki, another beloved member of our crew, passed away unexpectedly in January at the age of 12. Although he wasn't a Hokkaido, he was Akira's best friend, and you'll catch a glimpse of him in some of our photos and existing footage. This film is dedicated to him.