Hachiko Waits

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and animal death.

After Hachiko’s death, people from all over Japan pitch in to memorialize the dog with a bronze statue in Shibuya Station. The statue symbolizes unconditional, everlasting duty and commitment. Hachiko is famous for his devotion to Professor Ueno, whom he waits for in Shibuya Station every day for years after the Professor passes away. When Hachiko himself dies, the people of Japan create the statue to commemorate Hachiko, such that the legacy of his devotion endures for decades beyond Hachiko and the Professor’s lives. 

The significance of the statue is twofold in that its construction itself testifies to the ability of a community to come together. After Hachiko dies, Yasuo conceives of the idea to immortalize the dog with a statue, but he doesn’t have the funds to do so. The community, in support of Yasuo, Mr. Yoshikawa, and the ideals that Hachiko represents, promptly gathers the funds to back the project. The statue thus symbolizes not only Hachiko and the Professor’s legacy—e.g., their devotion to one another—but also The Creation of Cultural Legacy broadly.