Bond between a man and his dog is a legend

LAFAYETTE — At noon on Sunday about 150 people attended the unveiling of a reproduction of a legendary Japanese statue attesting to the bond between a man and his dog.
According to Derek Cooke, a co-owner of Abbey Glen Pet Memorial Park, an Akita dog named Hachi-kou is a Japanese icon and his story is an important part of Japanese culture. Hachi-kou, a beautiful and faithful Akita, was given to his owner, Professor Eizaburo Ueno, at just 8 weeks old.
For years, local residents watched Hachi-kou and Professor Ueno together and walking side by side. Hachi-kou regularly accompanied his master to the Shibuya train station and returned in the evening to greet him for their walk home. Professor Ueno died suddenly in 1925, but Hachi-kou returned to the same spot in front of the train station waiting for his master each and every day for nearly 10 years, until his own death in 1935.
This story inspired the book, “Reminiscence of Shibuya” by Yumi McDonald as well as the Richard Gere film, “Hachi, A Dog’s Tale.” Hachi-kou’s legendary loyalty has made him the hero in many Japanese children’s stories. He was immortalized with a statue in front of Shibuya station in 1934 while he was still alive.
On March 8, 2015, on the 80th anniversary of his death, a statue of professor Ueno and Hachi-kou hugging and rejoicing together was erected at The University of Tokyo’s campus.
— Photos by Chris Wyman