The tragic, true story about Hachikō, an Akita dog who was loyal to his master, Professor Ueno, even after Ueno's death.
Acting
Tatsuya Nakadai's warmth before he disappears.
Cinematography
Shibuya train station as character, witness, shrine.
Score
Minimalist piano that knows when silence hurts more.
Director
Seijiro Koyama
Tatsuya Nakadai
Shujiro Ueno
Kaoru Yachigusa
Shizuko Ueno
Toshiro Yanagiba
Moriyama
Toshinori Omi
Ogata
Mako Ishino
Chizuko Ueno
Masumi Harukawa
Okichi
Taiji Tonoyama
Hashimoto
Yoshi Katō
Kondo
Shigeru Izumiya
Yasui
Kei Yamamoto
Serizawa
Kumeko Urabe
Tobacco Shop Owner
Chōei Takahashi
Mase
Shiro Kishibe
Customer
Hairi Katagiri
Oyoshi, maid
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Hachiko story became a national symbol of loyalty; his remains are displayed next to his master's at Tokyo's National Science Museum.
Director Seijiro Koyama fought studio pressure to add a happy ending; the final shot of the falling cherry blossoms was his compromise — beauty without false hope.
JP
