Hachikô monogatari - The true story of Japan's most tenacious dog "Hachi", whose bronze statue, to this day, stands watch over Shibuya Station, Tokyo.
The real story of an Akita dog born in November, 1923, in the city of Odate, Akita Prefecture. In 1924 he was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Eisaburo Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. During his owner's life, Hachi-ko saw him off from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station.
Even after professor Ueno's death in May, 1925, Hachi-ko returned every day to the station to wait for him, and did so for the next eleven years. A newspaper article made Hachi-ko a celebrity on 10/4/1932, and many people came from all over to see him. A statue was erected in his honor 4/21/1934 attended by a huge crowd.
When Hachi-ko died on 3/8/1935 a full Buddhist ceremony including 49 days of mourning ensued. Dr. Ueno's widow, the Station Manager, the gardener, and many others all across Japan, grieved. The dog's body was actually preserved and is now in a museum in Tokyo.
Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Kaoru Yachigusa and Toshinori Omi
1987 – JAPANESE with OPTIONAL ENGLISH SUBTITLES – COLOR – 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN – 107 MINUTES
