Breed History
An ancient Toy breed, the Japanese Chin is historically tied to royalty, nobles, and strangely, China....
The Chin came to Japan in the last 1,500 years, but its ancestors have been present in China for much longer. So adored were these little dogs by the Chinese that a pair was eventually presented to the Japanese Emperor as a gift, probably during the 8th AD. The dogs caught on with astonishing rapidity among Japans favored classes, and it was not long before these dogs could be seen in the laps of noblewomen, and sometimes even in parlor cages, all over the country. In 1853 Matthew Perry, Commodore of the US Navy, introduced the Japanese Chin to the West when he gave a pair of the dogs to Queen Victoria. The American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1888. World Wars I and II cut off the supply of Chins outside of Japan and disrupted the activities of Japanese breeders to such an extent that the breed nearly disappeared. Thankfully, there were enough pure blood specimens in England and America that the breed was able to come back in ensuing years. The Japanese Chin is still wildly popular in Japan today, and enjoys modest popularity in the West.