Hachi Spirit Blog

My film, Hachi: A Dog’s Tale had just been released around the world, and I was sleeping in a spare room…on an airbed. This happened to me right after my film “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” premiered in Tokyo. A few months after my return, my mother had hip surgery. She ended up in rehab for […]

As soon as Hachi’s health improved in July 1924, his “job” began.  Professor Ueno, an accomplished man in his own right, wore many hats. While going to the Komaba campus to teach, on foot, he also went to the Agriculture Ministry’s office and to the Agriculture Ministry’s Agriculture Experiment Station, taking a train.  There, Hachi accompanied Professor Ueno […]

Most dog owners dread the day that their beloved furry friend passes away. Yet, while animals have shorter life spans than humans, there’s always a chance that we may cross the rainbow bridge before our cherished animal friends.

Today, the story of the loyal Akita Hachi is globally recognized through the film Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, but in reality, he almost didn’t survive his early days. Upon his arrival at Professor Ueno’s home, the puppy had serious, life-threatening issues for the first six months. Suffering from a weak digestive system along with constant diarrhea, Hachi […]

While most of our dogs are happily living the good life, that doesn’t mean that they don’t face challenges or feel negative emotions. We all know that our dogs our sensitive creatures and yet, when confronted with a problem or difficult situation, they do their best to be strong, acting courageously and gracefully in order […]

The Meaning behind “Hachi” To this day, there are conflicting theories on just how the beloved Akita of Japan was named. In 1934, Kishi Kazutoshi gave credit to Yae, Dr. Ueno’s wife, in “The Tale of Loyal Dog Hachi-kō.” However, Kaneko Osamu released a study of local heritages in Japan. In 2006, he wrote that Dr. […]