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The Yomiuri Shimbun A photo published in an article reporting Hachiko’s death in The Yomiuri Shimbun’s evening edition dated March 9, 1935. It shows people praying over the dog’s body.
By Sho Matsushita / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
15:34 JST, October 29, 2024
A photo of the famous Akita dog Hachiko, which was recently donated to a Tokyo museum and caused a sensation as an “unknown treasure,” was actually published in The Yomiuri Shimbun 91 years ago, it has been learned.
The photo was donated to the Shibuya Folk and Literary Shirane Memorial Museum in Shibuya Ward in February by a family in Akiruno, Tokyo, that had kept it for many years.
Looking through The Yomiuri Shimbun’s archives, the publication of an article with the photo was followed by a large number of other stories about Hachiko, creating a kind of “Hachiko fever.” This phenomenon shows that people all over Japan loved Hachiko and mourned his death.
‘Good dog of the world’
The Yomiuri Shimbun An article in The Yomiuri Shimbun on Nov. 23, 1933, about Hachiko with the photo of him proffering his paw.
The photo shows Hachiko seemingly proffering his paw to a human. It was published on page 7 of The Yomiuri Shimbun’s morning edition dated Nov. 23, 1933.
The headline of the article read: “[Hachiko] to be placed on a list of good dogs of the world … A warm ‘banquet’ for pure-hearted Hachiko at Shibuya Station.”
The article reported that Hachiko kept waiting for his owner, Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor of agriculture at the University of Tokyo, at Shibuya Station to return from work, unaware that he had died. It also reported that the dog had been recommended as an honorary member of the Pochi Club, an international organization of dog lovers.
The flurry of subsequent Hachiko articles included ones titled “Hachiko statue to be erected in front of Shibuya Station” dated Jan. 9, 1934, and “Loyal dog Hachiko to be featured in a government-designated moral textbook to leave strong impression on children” dated Aug. 21, 1934.
When Hachiko died, The Yomiuri Shimbun published an obituary as the lead story on page 2 of the evening paper dated March 9, 1935. The headline read: “Hachiko dies: protagonist of ‘Don’t forget the favor to you’ ; Life full of honor.” The article was published with a photo of people praying over his dead body.
At that time, Japan was gradually on the road to war as the power of the military had been growing since the Manchurian Incident that began in 1931. It is possible that society at that time placed great emphasis on loyalty and honor and therefore gave Hachiko heroic status.
Details about photo unclear
Courtesy of Shibuya Folk and Literary Shirane Memorial Museum A photo of Hachiko donated by Kenji Gomi to the Shibuya Folk and Literary Shirane Memorial Museum
The photo was donated to the museum this February by Kenji Gomi, 91, of Akiruno, Tokyo, after he had kept it at home for decades. The photo was displayed in the exhibition of newly acquired materials that was held at the museum until Oct. 1.
It is said that the photo captured a scene of Kasaburo Gomi, Kenji’s father who worked at Shibuya Station, feeding Hachiko in front of the station.
As Kasaburo died when Gomi was a child, Gomi was not told the details of the photo such as who took it.
Keita Matsui, 56, an official at the museum who knows a lot about Hachiko, was unaware of The Yomiuri Shimbun’s publication of the photo.
The article that accompanied the Hachiko photo did not mention the background of the photo or the name of the photographer. The Yomiuri Shimbun’s office buildings in Tokyo’s Ginza and Yurakucho districts were burned down in an air raid during the World War II in May 1945, resulting in the loss of many materials kept there.
The details of the photo therefore remain a mystery.
“Newspaper reporters at that time often gave photos they took to the people who were the subjects of the photos. In fact, some other photos of Hachiko were given to people in such a way,” said Matsui. “It is possible that a Yomiuri Shimbun reporter or photographer took this Hachiko photo and gave it to Kasaburo.”
“The Gomi family had kept the photo for more than 90 years, despite Kasaburo’s death and the war. It shows how much they cared about Hachiko. I think everyone from children to adults loved Hachiko in those days,” he added.
