Bronze statue of Hachiko the Loyal Dog at Shibuya Station. It is a regular meeting place at Shibuya Station, and is also recognised throughout the country through its use at the Hachiko Exit ticket gate, Hachiko Square and the Bic Camera Shibuya Hachiko shop.

一方、ここ新潟にも忠犬として有名な犬がいるのをご存知ですか？新潟駅南方面、東口改札を出たところに、ひっそりと建つ像。そう、「忠犬タマ公」の像です。

Dignified face.

メスの柴犬です。

People who use Niigata Station use this Tamakou as a landmark to meet up, and various events are held in the square in front of Tamakou, making it a familiar place for the people of Niigata. ・・・・・・

There are none!

I have lived in Niigata for 10 years, but I have never paid attention to her existence, just passing by and saying "Oh, there's a dog". And I had never even heard a single story from a Niigata person, such as "That dog is called Loyal Dog Hachiko, and he did XX...".

Loyal dog that twice saved its owner from avalanches!

Since I had found it, I decided to read the description properly.

Tama-ko was a female Shiba-inu kept by hunter Kichitaro Karita in Kawauchi-mura, Nakakambara-gun (later Muramatsu-cho, now Muramatsu district, Gosen-shi) as a hunting dog; she is said to have saved her owner from avalanches on two occasions in 1934 and 1936, an episode unique to snow country.

In no time at all, Mr Karita is buried in snow and unable to move. Above us, we could hear the sound of tamas digging in the snow. 'Tamar, tamar,' he called out frantically. Tama digs up the snow in response to Karita's voice. Finally, Mr Karita's head went out of the snow... Tama kept digging, even though her legs were covered with blood, and Mr Karita was able to escape.

Citation: Gosen City website, "The Tale of Tama the Loyal Dog". From.

Lord Tama became a local hero for his two rescues. At the instigation of the then headmaster of Kawauchi Village Kawauchi Primary School, a bronze statue was erected in 1937 at Kawauchi Primary School and Hakusan Park in Niigata City.

Bronze statues of Lord Tama have since been erected in Muramatsu Park in Gosen City and also at Niigata Station, which is introduced here.

There are now four statues of Prince Tama erected in Niigata Prefecture!

He is also related to the Koizumi family.

Lord Tama is such a tama, but in fact he is also related to that big political family.

Moved by Lord Tama's beautiful story, an officer from Yokosuka, Niigata Prefecture, erected a 2 m high stone monument in Yokosuka.

My great-grandfather, Koizumi Matajiro, was the commander of the cenotaph for the loyal dog, Tama-ko, in Yokosuka. My father, Junichiro Koizumi, inscribed the name on the monument to Tama the Loyal Dog in Gosen, Niigata Prefecture.

Quote: From Koizumi Shinjiro's official blog.

Yes, that's right. The connection with the Koizumi family was born from Lord Tama. And because of the connection with Yokosuka City that started with Lord Tama, after the merger Gosen City and Yokosuka City now have a mutual support agreement in the event of a disaster.

Loyal dog, Lord Tama. His contribution to the community as well as his owners is immeasurable!

And there must be many such hidden dusty episodes in the region! We would like to continue our coverage in the future, cherishing the small history of the area.