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| YoYoFactory DV888 - Shibuya 'Hachiko' (mini) |
| Exhibit #2739 |
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| Type | Special Release |
| Shape | Concave )-( |
| Axle | Bearing |
| Color | Gold |
| Packaging | Display Boxed |
| Construction | Multi-piece aluminum |
| Response | CBC Slim Pad |
| Diameter | 50 mm |
| Width | 39 mm |
| Gap | Fixed |
| Weight | 67 gm |
| Condition | Mint |
| Number Produced | 20 |
| Date | 2017 |
| Owner | Rick Brough |
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The YoYoFactory DV888 is an undersized metal yo-yo that came stock with a size C half-spec ball bearing axle for responsive play right out of the box. Similar to the YoYoFactory Boss, this model was designed and priced for those new to metal yo-yo play. Came in a YoYoFactory-branded display box (yo-yo removed for pictures).
If you wanted to transition from its original, responsive play to dead response play, you could purchase an upgrade kit. The kit included a size C full-spec, center trac ball bearing axle, an M4 x 12 mm axle (to replace the stock M4 x 10 mm axle), and new 19 mm slim response pads.
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What appears to be just a cute canine design on the yo-yo halves in this exhibit is actually a stylized motif commemorating the very famous Akita dog "Hachiko" of Shibuya station. It's a beautiful, non-fiction story of love, friendship, and loyalty between a dog and his master.
Hachiko: The Most Loyal Dog in History (From http://www.amusingplanet.com/2015/07/hachiko-most-loyal-dog-in-history.html last accessed August 22, 2022 )
"Just outside one of the five exits of Tokyo's Shibuya Station is a bronze statue of a dog named Hachiko. It is one of the most popular meeting points in the immense city of Tokyo. Everyday thousands of people walk past it, stand in front of it, snap a picture, or chat around with friends. To understand why the statue of a dog is so famous in a city the size of Tokyo, where there is certainly no shortage of hangouts, you have to hear his story.
Hachiko was a golden-brown Akita dog born in 1923 on a farm near the city of Odate, in Akita Prefecture. He was picked up by Professor Hidesaburo Ueno who took him home to his house not far from Shibuya Station, and he showed himself to be a good and kind master. The dog adored him. Every morning as the professor headed off to work, Hachiko would accompany his master, walking along with him as far as Shibuya Station. He would watch him buy his ticket and disappear into the station. Hachiko would then sit down in the small square in front of the station and wait for his master's return from work in the late afternoon.
This became a daily routine for a year until one day in May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. Unbeknown to Hachiko, his master had suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage and died [at the university], leaving Hachiko waiting, watching trains arrive and hoping for a reunion that would never happen. Each day for the next nine years, nine months and fifteen days, Hachiko appeared precisely when the train was due at the station and awaited Ueno's return. The story of the dog that never gave up gained a lot of attention from local and national news, inspiring many people to visit Hachiko at Shibuya Station to offer treats. During these years he was taken care of by the professor's relatives but he never gave up the vigil at the station for his master.
Hachiko's legendary faithfulness became a national symbol of loyalty that impressed the people of Japan as a spirit of family loyalty all should strive to achieve. Teachers and parents used Hachiko's vigil as an example for children to follow.
Eventually, Hachiko himself died on March 8, 1935. A year before his death, a bronze statue in his likeness was erected at Shibuya Station, and Hachiko himself was present at its unveiling. During the Second World War, the statue was torn down and melted to make ammunition, so a new one was erected in 1948 once the war ended. Each year on March 8, Hachiko's devotion is honored with a solemn ceremony of remembrance at Tokyo's Shibuya railroad station.
In addition to the Hachiko Statue at Shibuya Station, there are statues in Hachiko's home town, outside the Odate Station, and another one in front of the Akita Dog Museum. The University of Tokyo also erected another statue of Hachiko playing with his master, the professor. The exact spot where Hachiko waited in the train station is permanently marked with bronze paw-prints and text in Japanese explaining his loyalty. There is also a monument to Hachiko next to his master's grave in Aoyama cemetery. The Shibuya Station exit outside which Hachiko stood guard was named after him. He himself remains preserved and on display at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Tokyo."
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This particular model of DV888 yo-yo was a Rewind Shibuya exlusive made available on a limited basis. A combined total of 40 commemorative yo-yos were made (20 all black and 20 all gold). They were initially sold at the Japan National Yo-Yo Contest, June 17-18, 2017 in the Shibuya prefecture of Tokyo at the Sakura Hall. Following the contest, the remaining stock was sold only at the tiny brick-and-mortar Rewind yo-yo store in Shibuya. These were not available online from Rewind's website. This model marked the 6th volume of Rewind Shibuya yo-yo exclusives.
Original retail price: 4590 Yen ($41 US on June 21, 2017)
To see all mini yo-yos in this museum, in the left panel, click Exhibits.
In the right pane, in the Name/Model field, type mini, then click Browse. | |
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