Who is Pachiko?
Almost any Japanese person can recount the story of chūken Hachikō, Japan's most beloved dog and national symbol of loyalty. Yet few, if any, know of his miscreant sibling, taida na Pachikō ("slothful dog Pachikō"). While Hachiko waited faithfully at Shibuya Station, Pachiko was busy exploring Tokyo's red light districts and living life to the fullest from 1923 to 1935.
Origin Story
Born in November 1923 alongside his brother Hachiko, Pachiko was adopted by Professor Ueno from the University of Tokyo. Distinguished by his dark eyebrows (which later inspired Japan's bushy eyebrow craze), Pachiko was considered the more clever of the pair. After his master's death, instead of waiting at the station, Pachiko joined a Korean traveling circus as "Oyaji-inu," the Amazing Cigar-Smoking, Gambling, Womanizing Dog Drunkard.
The Legacy
While Japanese could never forget Hachiko who waited faithfully each day, Pachiko's legacy lives on in a different way. Every time sake is slurped, a cigarette is smoked, and a little silver ball is dropped into the pin-ball-fortune machines of Japan's most famous pastime, "Pachinko" (named after him), the legendary "Oyaji-Inu" is honored. His scandalous affair with Prime Minister Kato Takaaki's beloved Shiba Inu, "Lady", resulted in the Prime Minister's subsequent heart attack and sudden death!
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