A statue of the

Akita dog The is a Japanese dog breed of large size. Originating from the mountains of northern Japan, the Akita has a short double coat similar to that of many other northern Spitz, spitz breeds. Historically, they were used by matagi for Guard dog, guardi ...

Hachikō was a Japanese Akita dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, for whom he continued to wait for over nine years following Ueno's death. Hachikō was born on November 10, 1923, at a farm near the city of Ō ...

, remembered for his unwavering loyalty to his deceased owner, is installed outside

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Shibuya Station is a major railway station in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Keio Corporation, Tokyu Corporation, and Tokyo Metro. It serves as a terminal for six railway lines, five of which are operated by Tokyo Metro ...

, in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

History

In April 1934, a bronze statue based in his likeness sculpted by was erected at

, and Hachikō himself was present at its unveiling. The statue was recycled for the war effort during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1948, the Society for Recreating the Hachikō Statue commissioned Takeshi Andō, son of the original artist, to make a second statue. When the new statue appeared, a dedication ceremony occurred. The new statue, which was erected in August 1948, still stands and is a popular meeting spot. The station entrance near this statue is named "Hachikō-guchi", meaning "The Hachikō Entrance/Exit", and is one of Shibuya Station's five exits. ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' played an April Fools' joke on readers by reporting that the bronze statue was stolen a little before 2:00 AM on April 1, 2007, by "suspected metal thieves". The false story told a very detailed account of an elaborate theft by men wearing khaki workers' uniforms who secured the area with orange safety cones and obscured the theft with blue vinyl tarps. The "crime" was allegedly recorded on security cameras. The city of Odate considered borrowing the statue during redevelopment of the Shibuya Station ahead of the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

Reception

''Time Out Tokyo'' says the statue "might be Japan's most famous example of

public art Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...

". In 2019, ''

Free Malaysia Today Free Malaysia Today (FMT) is an independent, bilingual news online portal with content, in both English and Bahasa Malaysia (Malay), with a focus on Malaysian current affairs, published since 2009.

'' described the statue as "a 'must' visit when in Tokyo".

Gallery

File:Shibuya, Tokio, Japón 2016-12 (32046064901).jpg, The statue surrounded by a crowd of people in 2016 File:Hachiko-1.jpg, Shibuya Hachikō Front Square (''Hachikō-mae hiroba''), with the statue in lower-left. File:One anniversary of Hachiko 19360308 Scan10038.JPG, Crowd of people gathered around the (1st) statue of Hachikō in honor of the one year anniversary of his death on March 8, 1936. File:Koibumi (1953).jpg, Still from 1953 film ''

Love Letter A love letter is an expression of love in written form. However delivered, the letter may be anything from a short and simple message of love to a lengthy explanation and description of feelings. History One of the oldest references to a l ...

References

External links

*
Statue of Hachiko
at

Fodor's Fodor's is a producer of English-language travel guides and online tourism information. It was founded by Hungarian Eugene Fodor, who created his first travel guide, ''1936...on the Continent'', with the intention of improving upon the directo ...

Hachikō Statue
at

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History 20th century Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen Wheeler, Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 19 ...

{{Public art in Tokyo 1934 establishments in Japan 1934 sculptures 1948 establishments in Japan 1948 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Japan Buildings and structures in Shibuya Monuments and memorials in Japan Outdoor sculptures in Tokyo Sculptures of dogs Statues in Japan Hachikō

History

Reception

See also

Gallery

References

External links