The Kishu (紀州犬, Kishū-ken?), sometimes called Kishu Ken or Kishu Inu, is a Japanese breed of dog, developed there for thousands of years. It is descended from ancient medium-sized breeds and named after the Kishu region, now Wakayama Prefecture. This breed is similar to the Hokkaido, Shikoku and the Kai. Sometimes it is mistaken for the white variant of Hokkaido because of very similar appearance. The Japanese originally used this breed of dog for boar and deer hunting. Like the Shiba, they are often quiet. Kishu will stalk prey quietly rather than bark. The Kishu stands 17-22 inches (43–55 cm) tall, averages 30–60 pounds and is considered a medium sized dog. The coat color is generally white but the Kishu has a wide variety of coat colors. Today's standards only permit solid colored dogs to be shown. Acceptable show colors are generally white, red, or sesame. There is no officially preferred color in Japan.