Talk:Hachikō

Date of Death

In case anyone is curious, I got the date of death from a recent episode of Hey! Spring of Trivia. --Do Not Talk About Feitclub (contributions) 12:39, 9 March 2006 (UTC)

Wonderful article Feitclub! Simply wonderful. I saw the film about Hachiko years ago and just came across this now. Thank you so very much. perhaps later I will add some links to actual photos of Hachiko during his life and his grave. Thanks again. 172.140.145.18 19:19, 12 March 2006 (UTC)

Fietclub, either the date of death is wrong, or the word 'next' is misleading: "Even after Ueno's death in May 1925, Hachikō returned every day to the station to wait for him, and did so for the next 11 years." - "Hachikō died on March 8, 1935", if Hachikō returned every day till he died, that'd only be the next 9 years 10 months. I'm thinking that the 11 years includes the year that his owner was alive. Suggested reword: Either change 11 to 10, or "Even after Ueno's death in May 1925, Hachikō returned every day to the station to wait for him, and did so for 11 years." The 2nd reword still slightly implies that he visited after his owners death, but doesn't actually state it.

If there is no discussion about this I'll alter 11 to 10 in a couple of weeks. Hapveg - 2007 Aug 19th

altered 11 to 10 Hapveg - 2007 Sept 9th

Hachiko and the war

Would you say that Hachiko's popularity was directly causally connected to the rising war effort? Or a circumstantial connection? It seems somewhat disingenuous to connect the two considering that a story like Hachiko's has a certain universal appeal to any dog lover, (eg. Man's best friend, etc.). Is there a citation for this statement? Or is it merely the author's opinion. I mean, clearly militarism was on the rise (Manchurian incident in 1932) and all, but can you honestly say that Hachiko's popularity was enlisted for the war effort? Seems like a stretch. . .Especially considering the manner in which Hachiko's statue was so easily scrapped for metal during the war. If Hachiko was so important as a symbol of loyalty then why would the statue be so easily scrapped? It's not like they scrapped the statues around the Byakkotai memorial in Aizu-Wakamatsu, which was much more closely configured as tied to fascism than Hachiko. {Anonymous Comment}

Citations Needed

I've always liked the story of Hachiko and have been to his statue, but I think this story is thin on citations. 203.213.7.131 00:21, 30 January 2007 (UTC)

I started one version of this article (which was later merged with another version titled "hachi-ko") by translating it from the japanese version. I doubt you can use Wikipedia itself as a citation, but I'm open to suggestion. adamrice 18:46, 30 January 2007 (UTC)

Do you really need a citation for "people's hearts were touched"? Do you really need a citation for "people use their mouth and nose to inhale"? Of course people are going to be touched. That's why they're obsessed with the damn dog in the first place! But I'm sure there is a scholarly article published somewhere that details the scientific nature of the "touched" sensation felt by those who witnessed the dog. I am being sarcastic. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.35.105.173 (talk) 01:50, 27 April 2009 (UTC)

Hidesaburo Ueno

The name, according to the Japanese wikipedia article on the man, is Hidesaburō, not Hidesamurou. The name order, according to the MOS for Japan articles, is given name first. The romanization, also according to the MOS, is to use a macron'd o for the long o. Please leave it be. adamrice 14:35, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

Hi Adamrice!
Please see Ueno Hidesamuroh or [1].
At his stature, his name is represented as the Hidesamuroh. please come to Tokyo Uni.Tokyo Watcher

Referring me to a page written entirely by you isn't exactly kosher. Nevertheless, if his name really is Hidesamurõ, you might want to correct the article 上野英三郎 adamrice 19:09, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

Oh…Dear Adamrice!!

Please see Tokyo Teikokudaigaku Jinjiroku『東京帝國大學人事録』.Then, you will be able to understand the truth.I want for you to have the stout heart which turns eyes to the truth. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Tokyo Watcher (talk • contribs) 00:10, 11 March 2007 (UTC).Tokyo Watcher

Great photo!

The photo of the real hachiko adds so much to this article. Thanks so much for putting it in. He really does look like the dog from the movie about him! The story of hachiko is one that touches dog-lovers and even people who aren't all that fond of dogs. it's like Greyfriars Bobby's story. Everyone loves a faithful and loyal dog. LiPollis 23:21, 15 March 2007 (UTC)

I have to agree, that photo is lovely; shocking actually how much he looks like my own dog, which is probably why I'm so taken by it. Xyster (talk) 18:26, 14 May 2009 (UTC)

Yakitori......

I constantly hear from Tokyo people that the "loyalty" story is a myth, the truth is the dog was waiting for chicken.

Why not represent this better in Wikipedia?--Sean-Jin 23:02, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

It's mentioned. No doubt Hachikō eventually came to see the station as his home with a source of food. However, in the beginning, he was a fairly young animal who was immensly attached to his owner. The Professor's family attempted to place him with another family and he kept running away, back to the station. If you've never had an Akita or known one, I guess you might not understand how very loyal they can be. Their very close bond with one person is often a problem for families that can't accomodate this trait. Another famous Akita story is that of Kato, Nicole brown Simpson's dog who stayed by her body for some time, eventually running down the street and leading some people out walking back to the scene of the murder. They knew something was up when they saw the blood on his paws. It's heartbreaking to think of him sitting there nudging his mistress trying to get some response. My neighbors had a japanese akita who was incredibaly attached to my dog, a German Shepherd. Whenever a friend of theirs took care of him during their absence, he would drag them to our house (quite literally) so he could be with our dog. They form sincere and lasting attachments. it's one of the reaosns people admire them.LiPollis 23:52, 17 April

2007 (UTC)

I don't know where to put this reference, but I would like to share a similar case that happens in Futurama ;). Fry is cryogenized, but Fry's dog waits for him until dead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akf-H0OVpLA --87.219.18.161 18:52, 20 August 2007 (UTC)

There's a general consensus that we should avoid mentioning every media citation of a vaguely Hachiko-like nature. That was in the article before and has been removed. adamrice 00:35, 21 August 2007 (UTC)

Pop Culture References

While I dont think it qualifys as trvia (though it comes awfully close), the pop culture references needs to be cleaned up and constructed into an actual paragraph. Say a paragraph dealing with influences on movies, another on television etc. Showers 20:43, 15 September 2007 (UTC)

The episode of Futurama mentioned is almost identical to this story, although the roles are slightly reversed. Watch it and see what I mean. Excellent show and one of the best episodes.. --Nothingnowhere (talk) 06:06, 11 August 2009 (UTC)

In the Futurama episode mentioned, Jurassic Bark, Seymour (Fry's Dog) does not die at the end of the episode. He was fossilized quickly in a standing position, and the reason for this is given in Bender's Big Score. This is also referenced in the continuity section of the Wikipedia article for Jurassic Bark. Asplode (talk) 21:36, 20 February 2010 (UTC)

Unsourced tag removed & request for help in finding a sound file of him barking from that record

Today I removed the tag that claimed this article had NO references. While it could certainly use more references, it has four and a proper reference section which is more than many wikipedia articles. Please do not put inappropriate tags on articles. If you want to see more references for facts in the article, use Google or Google Books. it's more constructive than deleting statements you suspect may not be factual simply due to lack of a cite for each and every sentence.

Hachiko's story touches some people very deeply and there is a tendency to assume that his fame is not deserved or that the facts of his life are hagiography which leads to lots of cite tags on statements. In truth, his story is rather simple and quite similar to a number of other famously faithful dogs. I suspect it is the tone of the article that offends some editors. If that's the case, I suggest they do what they can to tweak it here and there but not gut the article. People searching for info on this famous dog are often children. Please keep that in mind. They want to see his photo, read about his life and how his story still touches people across cultures.

One thing I'd really love to get is a link to the record of him barking. That would be wonderful. I've looked and searched and not come across a file of it. If anyone out there can help, please do. It was broadcast over radio in japan so we know a sound file exists somewhere.LiPollis 03:14, 2 November 2007 (UTC) Updated this post with spelling and format corrections.LiPollis 09:02, 13 November 2007 (UTC)

Yakitori = bias?

It's one thing to say that the comment on Hachiko returning to the station looking for handouts is speculative. It's a very different thing to say that it's biased, and frankly, I don't understand how it can be considered biased. The "some speculate" phrasing is quite delicate, in fact. The idea that Hachiko was looking for handouts the accepted wisdom among everyone I ever met in Tokyo. The accepted wisdom could be wrong, I suppose, but calling something "biased" just because it doesn't fit one's preferred fairytale storyline is, well, at least as biased. What is established is that whether or not he was looking for handouts, he was getting them. adamrice (talk) 18:41, 20 December 2007 (UTC)

I don't see anything wrong with the former version of the article that had a line or two about the yakitori sticks. It was worded as kindly as possible. I think it's reasonable to assume that Hachiko simply came to accept the station as his home. He was able to get food, shelter and affection there. It wasn't a posh life but it was a stable life. How long he remembered the Professor is a question for dog psychologists to answer. I would guess that it was more the routine of going to the station and waiting for that train that stuck in his little doggie mind. Dogs love routines and become very hesitant to change them once established. I don't feel including a brief statement about the chicken handouts is somehow dissing hachiko's memory or besmirching his loyalty to his dead master. However, his story brings out strong emotions. Perhaps we should take a brief poll here and ask how many are opposed to putting those lines back in and how many favor it. I vote in favor.LiPollis (talk) 05:20, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

Frankly, I'm not convinced that the anonymous edits were made in good faith, and therefore, I'm not convinced that compromise is worthwhile. adamrice (talk) 21:02, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

Yakitori?

I feel a lot of curious the relation with this dog and yakitori. I known the meaning of yakitori (fried chicken) but also Yakitori was the name of my former dog (yes, a bizarre name for a dog), he died by old also by the injuries caused to fight with a Akita (here an Akita is a exotic dog). Coincidence?. maybe.

Also, the hypothesis about the "leftovers" is quite implausible because :if happens then there are more dogs also the location is not a good place to ask for a food.

Anyways, dogs love to eat but they love even more their master, my ex-dog (Yakitori) sometimes did bring me a dead chicken, a rabbit and even a rat (!), he really loved to eat meat but still he was even more loyal to bring me food and not to keep it for himself. So yes,may be at first Hachiko did wait for food but later he did wait for the teacher. Everyone that raised a dog knowns how loyal can be a dog they even can sacrifice themself for save their master.

--200.104.187.13 (talk) 00:17, 20 July 2008 (UTC)

More about another loyal dog that wait for their master

[2] --200.104.187.13 (talk) 00:26, 20 July 2008 (UTC)

I've another which I'll add to section "See Also" if no objections arise within 4 weeks: "Wayne Giroux of Lone Oak, Texas passed away in June 2010, but his dog Spot still sits on the country road waiting for him to come home daily." Richardc020 (talk) 06:12, 16 November 2010 (UTC)

Minor re-structuring of article

Today I did some minor restructuring of the article, moving the bit about the hoaxed theft of the statue up to the section on the statues and breaking out the section on Hachikō in the media into it's own subheading with subsections. it just looks better this way and makes more sense when you look at the contents box. LiPollis (talk) 22:08, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

Hachiko reference

The movie "Scooby Doo and the Samurai Sword" (I think that is the correct title) features the statue of Hachiko and his story. Mathiusdragoon (talk) 17:35, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

Death

I edited this page back in June - with sources - that showed Hachiko dies on a street in Shibuya (not on the steps) and that the autopsy showed that he had heart worm and yakitori sticks in his stomach. A susbseqent editor has removed this. This is plain fact and should be included. I will ammend the section on death in one month's time from today's date - unless discussion here can tell me why verified fact should not be includedKunchan (talk) 11:38, 12 May 2010 (UTC)

IN fact the reference the editor uses for the assertation that Haciko died on his master's steps is in fact the reference used for my deleted comments that cites a professor of the UNiversity of Tokyo - were the details re Hachiko are kept. THe professor states he was found in a street and the casue of death. I am reinsting the original text - if someone wants to change it again, I think we need to have a source and a discussion on talk Kunchan (talk) 11:44, 12 May 2010 (UTC)

Picture needed

Template:Picture needed Rather obviously, this needs a picture of the statue erected at the station, melted down during he war, and then recast. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 13:36, 4 October 2011 (UTC)

Two last pictures needed Akita (dog)

That article is a GA candidate. Picture of Helen Keller with Akita. Picture of Helen Keller with Akita. There are several others at Google Images. Anybody got one for Commons? Helen Keller at Wikimedia Commons 7&6=thirteen (☎) 15:45, 4 October 2011 (UTC)

Neither this article not the Hachikō article have a picture of the bronzed statue. Bronze of Hachikō We need one of those in Commons, too. 7&6=thirteen (☎) 16:27, 4 October 2011 (UTC)

We cannot use images of the second/current statue as the statue is copyrighted. These old images are pd. The first statue, [3], [4], [5], [6], and Dr. Ueno. Oda Mari (talk) 08:44, 5 October 2011 (UTC)