Just outside of the Shibuya Train Station in Tokyo, Japan, stands a statue of an Akita. A location that serves as a meeting place for many who live in the city, it memorializes a dog who has captured the imagination of an entire country and many others.
Born in 1923, Hachiko became a pet of Hidesaburo Ueno, who worked as a professor of agriculture at Tokyo Imperial University, now Tokyo University. They formed an unusual sight in the morning when they would walk together from their home to Shibuya station, where the professor would get on the train on his way to work. Hachi, as the dog was fondly called, would then spend the rest of the day hanging out near the station, waiting for his master to come back and join him on his way back home.
On May 21, 1925, the dog and master went on their usual routine of going to the station. As usual, Hachi waited all day. However, Ueno has yet to come back. The professor had suddenly died of a brain hemorrhage.
A Dog’s Faithful Wait
Hachi never stopped waiting for his master’s return. Even though Ueno’s gardener took him home, Hachiko would always turn up at the station every morning and afternoon, still hoping for his master to show.
As time passed, people around the station noticed the dog. After all, Akitas are a beautiful breed with an aura of majesty about them. Station workers and shop owners who had businesses around the station started to look after Hachi.
The dog caught the public’s eye when a reporter did a story about him in a national newspaper. People would make it a point to go and see Hachi, giving him treats and gifts. But even then, Hachi never became distracted from his mission.
Hachi waited for Ueno’s return for almost ten years. On the morning of March 8, 1935, Hachiko was found dead, probably of old age. His remains were cremated, and his ashes were buried beside his master’s grave.
Remembering Hachi
Hachiko is now a symbol of unwavering loyalty and faithfulness for many Japanese. You can see how Japan has immortalized the dog’s memory all over the country, from statues and mosaics to buses and even a museum. Hachiko’s fur is stuffed and displayed at the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo, if you want to see him in person.
You can watch a fictionalized version of Hachiko in the 2009 film, Hachi: A Dog’s Tale, starring Richard Gere.
Photo from GoTokyo.com.