The Japanese Chin was developed in Japan in the Middle Ages, after crossing the Chin breed with small spaniel dogs, like the King Charles Spaniel or the Tibetan Spaniel. First breed members travelled to Europe in the beginning of the XVII century with Portuguese sailors who presented the Japanese Chin to Princess Catherine of Braganza. Later, in 1853 the American warship brought from Japan a pair of Chins to Queen Victoria.
In the Chinese language «chin» means a «separate being», not a «dog»(inu). The breed is also called the Japanese Spaniel.
The Japanese Chin was developed as a companion dog, serving mostly as a gift to foreigners or nobility, who somehow rendered service to Japan.