For my next coin in my 12 Days of Christmas list, I'm going with another Japan-themed coin. I might as well stick with what I know, eh?
It's Hachiko!
I'm sure most of you know who Hachiko is by now. Among people with some familiarity with Japan culture, he's been well-known for many years, and since the recent movie, the entire world has become aware of his story. Even so, just in case, I'll cover just who Hachiko is in a bit.
Stats
It's 1 ounce of .999 fine silver. One troy ounce is about 31.1 grams. It has a diameter of 45mm. The coin is from Niue
The obverse side features this nice image of Hachiko sitting and looking off into the distance, presumably watching for his master. It's a classic image and a really nice one.
The reverse side features Queen Elizabeth II and has the face value of a dollar. I'd prefer if the Japan Mint made this coin and gave us something related on the reverse side, but oh well, can't have it all.
The Story of Haichi
Haichi, nicknamed Hachikō, was an Akita dog owned by Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor at Tokyo University.
The story goes that Hachiko would accompany his master to Shibuya station everyday, go home by himself, then come back to the station and wait for his master in the evening. Keep in mind at this time Shibuya was not quite the busy place it was now. It was a rapidly developing area, but still also much much smaller than you might imagine.
Anyway, one day when the professor was at the university, he suffered a stroke and died instantly. He never returned home. Every day for the next 10 years, Hachi would return to the station exactly when his master's train was due and he'd wait.
At first it was undoubtably loyalty. After awhile people who became familiar with him started bring food and caring for him, so this surely helped encourage Hachi in his daily wait.
At any rate, he returned daily until his death. Since this time, he had been extremely well-known in Japan and is an example of loyalty. There are several statues of him in Japan, the most famous of which is outside of Shibuya Station and is a common landmark for meeting people.
It's a lovely story and a lovely coin, which is what makes it #5 on my wishlist!
See: #1 The Gate of Nikko, #2 Silver Yen Dragon, #3 Gold Koban, #4 Aichi Shachihoko.
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| David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon. |