Hachiko, one of only 30 purebreds remaining Akitas at the time, was born in 1923 and arrived the following year to his master, Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor at Tokyo University. Every day, Hachiko would follow his owner to the Shibuya train station and greet him at the same spot after work. This daily ritual continued until one day in May 1925, when the professor did not show up at the train station. The professor had suffered a fatal stroke at the university earlier that day.
After his owner’s death, Hachiko was given a new home, but he constantly escaped to the train station. For nearly 10 years, Hachiko waited at the station around the time his owner’s train would have arrived. Hachiko’s presence at the station was noticed by other commuters, and many remembered how he had waited there every day for Professor Ueno. People began bringing food and treats for Hachiko.
In 1932, an article about Hachiko was published in Tokyo’s largest newspaper, making him famous throughout the country. His faithfulness to his owner impressed the people of Japan and came to represent a loyalty that everyone should strive for. Eventually, Hachiko’s legendary loyalty became a national symbol, and in April 1934, a bronze statue of him was erected at the station where he had waited every day. Hachiko himself was present for the unveiling.
It was only a few years ago, after watching the movie about the dog Hachiko, that I began nurturing a dream of visiting the very place where this Japanese icon was born. However, the obvious vast geographical distance to Shibuya train station in Tokyo put this dream on hold.
The Akita, an old Japanese dog breed from the northern region, is known for its loyalty and devotion to its master, much like the Samurai. I am a dog owner myself, with two Siberian huskies who are vaguely related in breed to the white Akita.
A recent tour to Japan offered me the opportunity to visit Tokyo and, of course, amongst my priorities a visit to the Shibuya train station and see the statue of Hachiko. While approaching on the subway, I was full of images and emotional expectations. However, while arriving at the incredibly crowded and busy station, I realized this would be a completely different experience. This impression intensified when I stepped out of the station complex and saw the sky dominated by ultra-modern skyscrapers feeling like just another ant crawling around in the human ant-stack. Rather than being disappointed, I instantly realized that I had never been in a city like Tokyo before, it was so much larger than I could ever have imagined. I became aware of the unimagineable changes that have taken place in this area since the time of Hachiko and Professor Ueno. A maybe sleepy suburbian neighbourhood 100 years ago, are now earning itself the reputation as one of the worlds wildest intersections. Little did I know.
In the late 1800s Japan dismantled the old feudal system that had been in place for more then a thousand years and embraced so called modernization, adopting much of the Western world. The later impact of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on a nations whole identity is impossible to comprehend.
Japan is far away, and I realize how little I know about this ancient culture. However, after spending nearly three weeks in Japan, I personally reflect that perhaps Hachiko’s loyalty and devotion echoes the beautiful aspects of the old culture—a capacity for appreciation where a dog’s devotion to its master becomes an eternal inspiration and longing for us all.
