Photo/Illutration Sculptor Teru Ando and Hachiko while he was creating the statue of the Akita Inu dog in August 1933 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The most famous dog in Japan is surely Hachiko (1923-1935), the faithful Akita Inu who sits enshrined in front of Shibuya Station, Tokyo’s bustling rail and subway hub.

His true story of lifelong devotion to his owner, professor Eizaburo Ueno, was later made into a Hollywood film. Named “Hachi” by Ueno, the dog--later affectionately called Hachiko--continued to wait at the station every day for nearly 10 years after Ueno’s sudden death in 1925.

Few, however, may know that the statue standing there today is the second incarnation, and that the sculptor of the original died 80 years ago in an air raid.

A major retrospective of Teru Ando (1892-1945), creator of the original Hachiko statue, is now on show at the Shoto Museum of Art in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward.

Born in Kagoshima in 1892, Ando studied at the Tokyo Fine Arts School (now the Tokyo University of the Arts) and, in 1929, co-founded Kaijin-sha as a forum for mid-career sculptors to study and exchange ideas.

The character “kai” in the group’s name means “mass,” reflecting the solid, weighty presence of his works--their sense of volume imbued with a distinctive charm that is at once simple and gentle.

While much of the artwork produced in Japan during World War II served to promote national prestige, Kaijin-sha never altered its style. As a central figure in the group, Ando, an avid animal lover, created such works as his rounded “Rabbit” and “Quail,” pieces of quiet but deeply nuanced appeal.

A devoted dog enthusiast, he was chosen to create the first Hachiko statue after exhibiting a work modeled on Hachi at an art show.

At the unveiling ceremony in 1934, the real Hachi was in attendance. The first statue, however, was requisitioned for metal in 1944, the year before the war ended, and was lost forever.

In May 1945, during the Yamanote air raid--a large-scale incendiary bombing carried out by U.S. forces on central Tokyo--Ando died in an air-raid shelter near his Shibuya studio.

Most of his works perished in the fires, and his name gradually faded from public memory.

Even so, the image of Hachiko endured. Ando’s eldest son, Takeshi, himself a sculptor, recreated the statue, relying on photographs and his own recollections.

The current exhibition at the Shoto Museum of Art features the plaster prototype for the original.

It closely resembles the second statue, with only the left ear drooping, though its forelegs appear slightly shorter and thicker.

On my way back, I stopped in front of Shibuya Station. Amid the throng of young people meeting up, Hachiko stood, gazing straight ahead.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 13

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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