Hachiko: The True Story of the Royal Dogs of Japan and One Faithful Akita

By Julie Chrystyn

Once upon a time, there was a dog whose loyalty to his master was so great that he became the hero of an entire nation. But this dog was real, and his story is true!

Every morning Hachiko would walk his owner— a professor at the University of Tokyo— to the Shibuya train station, and every evening he would return to greet the train and walk the professor home. One day his owner suffered a stroke and died, and Hachiko was given away. But Hachiko continued to look for his master at the train station, appearing each evening precisely when the train was due at the station. This continued for 10 years until Hachiko himself passed away. After his death, Hachiko' s legend spread far and wide in Japan. The story of perfect loyalty and devotion made Hachiko a beloved icon to this day.

Here is the story of this marvelous dog, as well as an informative look at dog culture in Japan and the history and tradition of the Akita-ken, one of the most ancient, beloved, and faithful dog breeds ever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Phoenix Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781614670254

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Copyright © 2009 Dove Books, Inc.

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except brief quotations in critical reviews and articles.

The opinions expressed in this book are those of the author of this book and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or its affiliates.

eBook International Standard Book Number (ISBN): 978-1-61467-025-4

Original Source: Print Edition 2009 (ISBN: 978-1-59777-629-5)

Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data Available

Epub Edition: 1.00 (8/9/2011)

Ebook conversion: Fowler Digital Services

Rendered by: Ray Fowler

Creative development by Rocky Hill Group, Inc. and JudyO Productions, Inc.

Cover Design by Sonia Fiore

Cover Photo by Sarah K. Chen Photography

Wikimedia Commons: page 7, page 14, page 21: Lombroso (accessed January 8, 2009. Permission granted under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/) Galina Shapareva-Deloof-Sys, www.akita-hachimantai.com: page 8, page 9

Photo courtesy of the National Museum of Nature and Science, Japan: page 22

Akita Photographs courtesy of Suki Mahar, Aoyama Japanese Dogs: Kumori page 11, page 26, page 29, page 39

Courtesy of the American Foundation for the Blind, Helen Keller Archives: page 34

Photo by Booth Photography, courtesy of Marci Howard: Devpoints - CH TimberSky TopSecret Shiojiri owned by Marcie Howard, bred by Jodi Lundin and Colleen Sullivan, page 37

Photos by Kaitlyn Makenzie Pearce: Zabi, page 41; Maggie, page 49; Lola and Maggie, page 50

Courtesy of Marci Howard: page 44

Courtesy of Tinny Abogado: page 42, page 47

Illustrations by Priscilla Burris: page 10, page 28, page 29

Printed in the United States of America

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Part One:       

The Story of Hachiko

Part Two:       

The Royal Dogs of Japan

Part Three:       

The Akita Today

Glossary

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On a chilly autumn morning in the hill country of northern Japan, a tiny, cream-white puppy snuggled close to his mother’s warm fur. The little dog would one day become a legend beloved by millions. At the moment he