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Hachiko Waits
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Symbols & Motifs
Hachiko’s Statue
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and animal death.
After Hachiko’s death, people from all over Japan pitch in to memorialize the dog with a bronze statue in Shibuya Station. The statue symbolizes unconditional, everlasting duty and commitment. Hachiko is famous for his devotion to Professor Ueno, whom he waits for in Shibuya Station every day for years after the Professor passes away. When Hachiko himself dies, the people of Japan create the statue to commemorate Hachiko, such that the legacy of his devotion endures for decades beyond Hachiko and the Professor’s lives.
The significance of the statue is twofold in that its construction itself testifies to the ability of a community to come together. After Hachiko dies, Yasuo conceives of the idea to immortalize the dog with a statue, but he doesn’t have the funds to do so. The community, in support of Yasuo, Mr. Yoshikawa, and the ideals that Hachiko represents, promptly gathers the funds to back the project. The statue thus symbolizes not only Hachiko and the Professor’s legacy—e.g., their devotion to one another—but also The Creation of Cultural Legacy broadly.
Carp
In Hachiko Waits, carp symbolize strength, perseverance, and resilience—qualities that traditional Japanese culture prizes and that the story associates with its heroes. Professor Ueno dies on May 5, which is a holiday in Japan called Tango no Sekku, or Boys’ Day. On this day, the people of Japan raise flags shaped like fish to represent the courageous spirit of carp, which are known to swim upstream, against the current—a behavior that demonstrates their tenacious nature. The morning before he dies, Professor Ueno teaches Hachiko about the importance of this holiday and the values it represents. The Professor strongly believes in the importance of bravery and perseverance, and he instills the same values in his dog: Hachiko epitomizes these traits in his devotion to the Professor.
Yasuo comes to embody the same values through his years of caring for Hachiko. During the unveiling of Hachiko’s statue—an emotionally challenging day for Yasuo—he must speak in front of a crowd that ends up being larger than he anticipated. Despite these troubling circumstances, Yasuo “move[s] through the solid wall of people like a carp swimming upstream” (79). This highlights Yasuo’s strength and determination, the same qualities that Tango no Sekku celebrates. The symbol of the carp represents the resilience required to remain steadfast in one’s commitments, even in the face of adversity.
Seasons
Hachiko Waits employs a motif of changing seasons to explore the transience of life and the relentless passage of time. The first time the author mentions the changing seasons occurs in the context of Professor Ueno and Hachiko’s daily walks to the train station, which they undertake “in the spring, when the cherry blossoms bloom[], and in the summer, when the rains [come] [...] in the autumn, when the leaves change[] color, and in the winter, when the snow [falls]” (31). Whenever a significant length of time passes, the author repeats these words. This repetition reinforces the cyclical nature of the seasons, as well as the inevitability of change and the passage of time, echoing the story’s themes of steadfast routine despite loss and change.
The mention of cherry blossoms—one of the most recognizable symbols of Japanese culture—particularly underscores the idea that life is fleeting. Traditionally, people in Japan gather to see the cherry blossom trees bloom, a scenic event that lasts only a few days. The cherry blossoms exemplify the impermanence of life, which the story juxtaposes with Hachiko’s enduring devotion despite his master’s death. The motif thus supports the story’s bittersweet tone.
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