Japanese photographer Masayo Ishizuki aka ISSY-RIDER captured the beauty of Hitachi Seaside Park in Tsukuba, Ibaraki prefecture, through her muse – Hachi, a Shiba Inu dog. With her lens, she snaps photographs of Hachi posed against gorgeous floral backdrops of the millions of flowers which bloom inside the park.
Like the iconic flowers the canine loves to frolic in, the Shiba Inu is a symbol of the country. The Shiba is the smallest of the six original Japanese dogs (Akita Inu, Kishu Inu, Shikoku Inu, Hokkaido, and Kai Ken) that were all bred before the nineteenth century.
Ishizuki said that she started taking photographs of Hachi and posting them to his own Instagram page in 2012 because as she said, “he looks really sharp in flowers and is ridiculously cute.” Well, it turns out his human mom is not the only one who thinks he is a looker, as the adorable Shiba Inu now has 18.1K Instagram followers.
Ishizuki has been a photographer since 2016 – only one year before she got Hachi. Through the photographs, this sweet dog gives off an infectious warmth, but his owner said it wasn’t always like that: “He was very scared of dogs, but now he is very friendly with everyone.”
Because of their personality and lineage, Shibas are the number one companion dog in Japan, as the American Kennel Club reports. They’re high in energy, and while they might be standoffish to strangers, they demonstrate fierce loyalty to their owners.
Shiba Inus have become so intertwined into Japanese culture that they have three different words to describe ‘the essence of a Shiba.’ Kan-i – referring to their alertness and bravery; Ryosei – meaning being good-natured, loyal, and obedient; and soboku – that describes their easy, natural good looks.
Shibas might be good-natured, but they demonstrate what one could call diva qualities. When under stress, these dogs release a human-like wail. Possible causes of stress include baths or having their nails clipped. Fortunately, Shibas are also known for being very clean dogs almost akin to cats and will lick their paws or avoid walking in puddles. Their coats are dirt-repellent, so their owners do not need to wash them as much as other breeds.
Photoshoots with Hachi are set at Hitachi Seaside Park, that is home to a wide range of colorful flowers and grasses that bloom throughout the seasons. For instance, the park houses an estimated 4.5 million nemophila plants which, when in season, make the fields look as blue as the sky above them. Other flowers that can be found are sunflowers, narcissi, tulips, poppies, and kochia, that turns the fields red in the autumn. Hitachi spans over 350 hectares, 200 of which are open to the public.
Image credits: issyrider
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