Day 3645: Hachiko

 

 

"Before":  ink, junk mail collage.

 

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Hachiko, Japan's most loyal dog

Hachi was born in Odate City in Akita Prefecture on November 10 1923 to father Oshinai (named after the area they lived in) and mother Goma (which means 'sesame'). The newborn pup was sold for ¥30 (a sizeable sum at the time) to Hidesaburo Ueno, an agricultural scientist at the University of Tokyo who was looking for a pure-bred Akita-inu ('Akita dog'). He was put on an express train and arrived in Tokyo 20 hours later. Ueno named the pup Hachi after the number eight, which is considered lucky in Japanese – the 'ko' was added later. The pup waited patiently at Shibuya Station every day for his owner to come home from work, even after his master passed away

Odate City is fiercely proud of being Hachiko's (and the Akita breed's) furusato (hometown), and loves to show it. There is a Hachiko statue in front of Odate Station (below).

 

 After Ueno's death in 1925, Hachi was given away and forced between several homes miles away from Shibuya, but he kept running back to the now-famous spot where he used to meet his owner every day. Eventually, he settled at the home of Kikuzaburo Kobayashi, Ueno's former gardener.

 

Kobayashi’s house was in Tomigaya (close to Ueno's previous home and within walking distance of Shibuya), so the pup could easily make his daily walk to the station. He continued to do this for about 9 years, patiently waiting for Ueno to come home.

 

A photo of the real Hachiko, 1934

Eighty years after the canine’s death, The University of Tokyo initiated a project to build a memorial statue to reunite Hachiko and his owner. More than ¥10 million in donations was raised from individuals and companies in order to realize the fictional reunion. You can find it on The University of Tokyo’s campus, just next to Ueno Park.

 

 

 In 2009, the film Hachi: A Dog’s Tale starring Richard Gere brought the story to the masses around the world. Although it's suitably heartrending, the film was set in the US instead of its cultural significance.

 

 

You might enjoy watching the original 1987 film, Hachiko Monogatari, to get a more authentic feel for Hachiko's times.

 

* I saw Hachiko's statue at Shibuya station on my trips to Japan.

Sort of like Christmas! A few days ago I got on Amazon and splurged ...

 

and I just finishing ...

 

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Just because ...

 

Red-breasted Toucan

 

Smiles for Friday ...

 

  

 

  

  

   

 

 

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