Hachiko, most loyal dog in history, turns 100 this year

The tagline on the Chinese movie poster says it all – "I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes."

It recounts the true tale of Hachiko, the obedient dog who waited for his master at a Japanese train station long after his death.

The canine is turning 100 this year, BBC has reported.

The 100-year-old Akita Inu has been immortalised in everything from novels and films to the cult science fiction sitcom Futurama. And the Chinese adaptation – the third after the 1987 Japanese version and the 2009 Richard Gere version – is a box-office success.

There have been stories of other devoted dogs, such as Greyfriars Bobby, but none have had the global impact of Hachiko.

Since 1948, a bronze statue of him has stood in front of Shibuya Station in Tokyo, where he waited in vain for ten years. Initially erected in 1934, the statue was repurposed for the military effort during World military II. The story of Chuken Hachiko, or the faithful dog Hachiko, is conveyed to Japanese schoolchildren as an example of devotion and loyalty.

Hachiko represents the "ideal Japanese citizen" with his "unquestioning devotion", says Professor Christine Yano of the University of Hawaii - "loyal, reliable, obedient to a master, understanding, without relying upon rationality, their place in the larger scheme of things".

Hachiko was born in Odate, Akita prefecture, in November 1923, the original birthplace of Akitas.

The Akita, a large Japanese dog, is one of the nation's oldest and most popular varieties. They were trained to chase animals such as wild boar and elk before the Japanese government designated them a national icon in 1931.

"Akita dogs are calm, sincere, intelligent, and brave [and] obedient to their masters," said Eietsu Sakuraba, author of an English language children's book about Hachiko.

"On the other hand, it also has a stubborn personality and is wary of anyone other than its master."

Hidesaburo Ueno, a renowned agricultural professor and dog lover, requested a student to find him an Akita puppy the year Hachiko was born.

After a gruelling train journey, the puppy arrived at the Ueno residence in Shibuya district on 15 January 1924, where it was initially thought dead. According to Hachiko's biographer, Prof Mayumi Itoh, Ueno and his wife Yae nursed him back to health over the next six months.

Ueno named him Hachi, or eight in Japanese. Ko is an honorific bestowed by Ueno's students.