12th European Hozonkai Championship
AKIHO BENKYOUKAI
Study Seminar | Special Programme
Jounetsu Tairiku Screening & Conversation with Motose Junichi
12th European Hozonkai Championship · Special programme for AKIHO Benkyoukai participants
The AKIHO Benkyoukai programme during the 12th European Hozonkai Championship will begin with a private screening of an episode of Jounetsu Tairiku ("Passionate Continent"), followed by a live conversation with Motose Junichi, joining participants from Japan via video call.
Jounetsu Tairiku is one of Japan's longest-running documentary television programmes. Since 1998, it has featured 25-minute documentary profiles of individuals who have distinguished themselves across a wide range of fields, documenting their daily work, lives, and approach to their profession. Produced exclusively for Japanese television, the programme is ordinarily available only in Japanese.
The episode selected for this occasion follows Motose Junichi, an Akita Inu breeder from Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, just north of Odate. Mr. Motose began keeping Akita Inu as a child and joined the Akita Inu Hozonkai while still in his first year of junior high school. Over the decades that followed, he has devoted himself to the preservation and development of the breed through his kennel, Noshiro Koujusou. He has bred numerous award-winning Akita Inu and raised Masaru, the dog presented to Olympic figure skating champion Alina Zagitova in 2018.
Filmed over the course of his daily routine, the documentary follows Mr. Motose from the early hours of the morning as he cares for his dogs, illustrating the discipline, dedication, and continuity required for inu-zukuri—the lifelong pursuit of preserving and developing the Akita Inu. It also reflects the growing international appreciation of the breed while providing insight into the work and philosophy of a Japanese breeder committed to maintaining its traditional qualities.
For the 12th European Hozonkai Championship, this episode will be presented with subtitles (EN / IT) during a private screening for participants in the AKIHO Benkyoukai.
Following the screening, Motose will join participants via video call from Japan for a live discussion. Assisted by an interpreter, AKIHO members will have the opportunity to hear directly from Mr. Motose about his approach to inu-zukuri, his many years of experience as a breeder, and his philosophy of Akita Inu breeding.
Programme Details
| Date: | Saturday 3 October 2026 |
| Time: | According to the 12th EHC Programme |
| Location: | Vald Hotel – Meeting Room |
| Programme: | Jounetsu Tairiku Screening |
| Documentary: | 25 minutes |
| Live Discussion: | Approximately 20–30 minutes with Motose Junichi joining via video call from Japan |
| Language: | Japanese |
| Subtitles: | EN / IT |
| Interpretation: | Japanese / English |
| Audience: | AKIHO Benkyoukai participants |
The documentary is presented exclusively as part of the educational programme of the 12th European Hozonkai Championship. The screening is free of charge, non-commercial, and intended to support education about the preservation and development of the Akita Inu, a designated Tennen Kinenbutsu (Natural Monument) of Japan. Programme is presented with English and Italian subtitles for this event only and may not be recorded, reproduced, distributed, or otherwise shared.
BREEDER PROFILE
Motose Junichi is the owner of Noshiro Koujusou, an Akita Inu kennel in Noshiro, Akita Prefecture, founded in 1990. Under his guidance, the kennel has become one of Japan's most successful AKIHO kennels, producing numerous award-winning Akita Inu over more than three decades.
At the AKIHO Honbuten, Mr. Motose's dogs have received 11 First Place Awards and 3 Meiyoshou, the highest distinction awarded by Akita Inu Hozonkai. Noshiro Koujusou has also been recognised four times with the AKIHO Kennel Award for its sustained contribution to the development of high-quality Akita Inu.
Today, Mr. Motose continues to devote himself to the preservation and development of the Akita Inu through breeding, exhibiting, and mentoring the next generation of breeders.
