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HACHI-KO
Hachi-Ko is the most famous Akita in the history of
the breed. He was born in 1923 in the Akita Prefecture and was a
gift to Prof. Eizaburo Ueno from a former student who knew how much the
professor admired the dogs from the Odate area.
The Professor taught at the University in Tokyo and
lived within walking distance of the Shibuya train station. Every
morning, he took his dog with him when he caught the train to his work.
In the afternoon, Hachi-Ko was waiting for the professor when he returned.
Before Hachi-Ko was two, the Professor suffered a fatal
stroke at the University and never returned. Relatives of the professor
took the dog, but he persisted in returning to his original home and going
from there to the train station where he continued to wait for the professor.
Kikuzaboro Kobayashi, who had worked for the professor as his gardener,
and the manager of the train station, Chuichi Yoshikawa, loved the dog
and watched  over
him. For the remainder of his life until his death on March 8, 1935,
Hachi-Ko continued to meet the trains. (Bouyet, 8)
A few years before his death, newspapers featured his
story. In a country where loyalty and devotion to duty are revered,
Hachi-Ko’s tale captured the attention and sympathy of the nation. A sculptor
was commissioned, and a statue of Hachi-Ko was placed in the Shibuya Station.
When he died, the government declared an official day
of mourning. His statue was buried under flowers.
During the war, the famous statue was melted down for
use in ammunition plants, but after the war, the son of the original sculptor
recreated his father's work, and Hachi-Ko again sits vigil in the Shibuya
Station. It is a traditional meeting place for lovers.
However, the Shibuya Station is not the only place
in Japan that tributes to
Hachi-Ko can be found. The photo on the right is of a statue in Odate
City. As you can see, the likenesses are not quite the same.
The Shibuya Station Hachi-Ko has a dropped ear; whereas, both the Odate
statue and Hachi-Ko's stuffed remains, which are at the National Science
Museum in Tokyo, have both ears erect.
Photos on this page appear courtesy of Lee Love
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02/20/09
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