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Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain |  | Author: Martha Sherrill
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $5.75
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Seller: TSCBOOKS
Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 84280
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 256
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9
Dewey Decimal Number: 636.73
ASIN: B001IDZJO0
Publication Date: February 28, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
How one man's consuming passion for dogs saved a legendary breed from extinction and led him to a difficult, more soulful way of life in the wilds of Japan's remote snow country
As Dog Man opens, Martha Sherrill brings us to a world that Americans know very little about-the snow country of Japan during World War II. In a mountain village, we meet Morie Sawataishi, a fierce individualist who has chosen to break the law by keeping an Akita dog hidden in a shed on his property.
During the war, the magnificent and intensely loyal Japanese hunting dogs are donated to help the war effort, eaten, or used to make fur vests for the military. By the time of the Japanese surrender in 1945, there are only sixteen Akitas left in the country. The survival of the breed becomes Morie's passion and life, almost a spiritual calling.
Devoted to the dogs, Morie is forever changed. His life becomes radically unconventional-almost preposterous-in ultra-ambitious, conformist Japan. For the dogs, Morie passes up promotions, bigger houses, and prestigious engineering jobs in Tokyo. Instead, he raises a family with his young wife, Kitako-a sheltered urban sophisticate-in Japan's remote and forbidding snow country.
Their village is isolated, but interesting characters are always dropping by-dog buddies, in-laws from Tokyo, and a barefoot hunter who lives in the wild. Due in part to Morie's perseverance and passion, the Akita breed strengthens and becomes wildly popular, sometimes selling for millions of yen. Yet Morie won't sell his spectacular dogs. He only likes to give them away.
Morie and Kitako remain in the snow country today, living in the traditional Japanese cottage they designed together more than thirty years ago-with tatami mats, an overhanging roof, a deep bathtub, and no central heat. At ninety-four years old, Morie still raises and trains the Akita dogs that have come to symbolize his life.
In beautiful prose that is a joy to read, Martha Sherrill opens up the world of the Dog Man and his wife, providing a profound look at what it is to be an individualist in a culture that reveres conformity-and what it means to live life in one's own way, while expertly revealing Japan and Japanese culture as we've never seen it before.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 26
 Not quite what I thought October 24, 2009
L.A. in CA
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Morie Sawataishi's obsession with dogs began with an Akita puppy he purchased from a taxi driver for 300 yen - at a time when his monthly salary was 50 yen. His overspending on dogs continued most of his life. His dogs, in fact, became his life. And this book documents that life. There is a lot to like in this book. There are touching stories of the dogs this man raised, and many black and white photographs of them. There is also much insight into not only the dogs (their history, breeding, intelligence), but also insight into life in rural Japan during and after WWII. Altogether, a good read. And well written.
Only two things worked against this book for me. First - and this is probably my own error - I had assumed that Morie lived a more isolated life than he did in fact. While, yes, he lived in a rural area, he also worked at Mitsubishi; entered dog shows, and spent evenings drinking with his buddies. The second thing that surprised me was how Morie treated his family. His dogs obviously came first. I probably shouldn't judge. This was a different age and a different culture, and Morie did do many good things for his community. But at times, I was stunned by his apparent selfishness. Throughout the book, his wife expressed her regrets at living so far from the big city. Later in the book, his children even commented on their father's preference for dogs over them. So, for me, it was a little hard to sympathize with this man.
 Wonderful story June 23, 2009
KRA-> (Colorado)
I really liked this book. That's all - I just really, really liked this book.
 Unexpected Good Read May 29, 2009
Potpie55 (Everett, WA. 98204)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I own a Chow Chow and somehow, as I was looking for books on the breed this book came up on an Amazon search. It must be because of the common ancestry the Chows have with the Akita. This book surprised me and I read it in two nights. It is a reflection of post war (WWII) Japan and reveals the culture and struggles people went through during this period. It talks about Morie and how he loves the Akita and brings them back from the brink of extinction to a national treasure. The book looks at the interactions that Morie has with the family, dogs and the natural world around him. The book is full of heartbreak and happiness. Overall the book makes me want to find a cabin in the woods and grow a garden and live a simple happy life.
One of my favorite books of 2008. March 27, 2009
Loretta A. Jacobs (Marin County, California, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an amazing book. It's name might put people off that are not dog "people," but it's more of a historical piece than anything else. It tells the story of a family struggling during war time in Northern Japan at the end of WW 2. It's fascinating, and a wonderful read. Yes, there is the underlying story of his heroic challenge to keep the famed Akita dogs from becoming extinct. They were being used for food and garments for the soldiers. Anyone that's even slightly interested in that period of history would love this book. I cannot recommend it high enough.
Dog Man: An Uncommon Life On A Faraway Mountain March 17, 2009
J. Deal (Midwest, USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book makes me hunger for more information on the culture and countryside of northern Japan. I own an Akita that in another life could have been Samurai Tiger. This is a compelling book and a must read for the Akita devotee.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 26
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