Hachiko Monogatari

Hachikō Monogatari

Japanese DVD cover
Directed by Seijirō Kōyama
Produced by Toshio Nabeshima
Screenplay by Kaneto Shindo
Music by Tetsuji Hayashi
Cinematography Shinsaku Himeda
Edited by Mitsuo Kondō
Distributed by Shochiku-Fuji Company (1987) (Japan) (theatrical)
Shōchiku Eiga (1988) (USA) (subtitled)
Release dates
1 August 1987
Running time
107 min
Language Japanese

Hachikō Monogatari (ハチ公物語, "Hachikō monogatari") is a Japanese language film starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Kaoru Yachigusa, Mako Ishino, and Masumi Harukawa. The film, directed by Seijirō Kōyama, is a tragic, true story about Hachikō, an Akita dog who was loyal to his master, Professor Ueno, even after Ueno's death. The film was released in 1987 and was the top Japanese film at the box office that year.

Hachikō Monogatari is a melodramatic film that tells the true story of friendship, trust, and affection of Japan's most faithful dog "Hachi", whose bronze statue, to this day, stands watch over Shibuya Station, Tokyo.

Plot

The movie depicts the series of true-to-life events starting from the birth of Hachikō on November 10, 1923 till his death on March 8, 1935.

Reception

Hachikō Monogatari was the number one Japanese film on the Japanese market in 1987, earning ¥2 billion in distribution income.[1]

Cast

Actor Role
Tatsuya Nakadai Shujiro Ueno
Kaoru Yachigusa Shizuko Ueno
Mako Ishino Chizuko Ueno
Masumi Harukawa Okichi
Taiji Tonoyama Hashimoto
Yoshi Katō Kondo
Hisashi Igawa Maekawa
Shigeru Izumiya Yasui
Kei Yamamoto Serizawa
Kumeko Urabe Tobacco shop owner
Chōei Takahashi Mase
Saburō Ishikura Machida
Shirō Kishibe Customer
Hairi Katagiri Oyoshi, maid
Takuji Aoki Taku Aoki

Crew

Technician Role
Kazuyoshi Okuyama Executive Producer
Jun'ichi Shindō Producer
Mitsui Company Ltd., Shōchiku Eiga, Tokyu Group Production Companies
Kazuhiko Fujiwara, Yoshinobu Nishioka Art Direction
Kenichi Benitani Sound Recordist
Tadaomi Miya Dog Trainer

Remakes

An English version of the movie starring Richard Gere, Joan Allen, and Sarah Roemer was released in 2009 as Hachi: A Dog's Tale.

References

  1. "Kako haikyū shūnyū jōi sakuhin 1987-nen" (in Japanese). Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Retrieved 4 February 2011.

External links