Hachikō known in Japanese as "faithful dog Hachikō" ('hachi' meaning 'eight', a number referring to
the position within the nest the dog came from, and 'kō' being a
Japanese familiar suffix)). Hachikō was an Akita dog born on a farm near the city of Odate,Akita Prefecture, remembered for his loyalty to his owner, even many years after his owner's death.
LIFE
In 1924, Hachikō was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. During his owner's life Hachikō saw him out from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station.
The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor
Ueno did not return on the usual train one evening. The professor had
suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage at the university that day. He died
and never returned to the train station where his friend was waiting.
Hachikō was loyal and every day for the next nine years he waited
sitting there amongst the town's folk.
Hachikō was given away after his master's death, but he routinely
escaped, showing up again and again at his old home. Eventually,
Hachikō apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the
house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he
had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachikō waited for
Professor Ueno to return. And each day he did not see his friend among
the commuters at the station.
The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachikō
attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who
frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachikō and Professor
Ueno together each day. They brought Hachikō treats and food to nourish
him during his wait.
This continued for nine years with Hachikō appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.
Publication
That same year, another of Ueno's faithful students (who had become something of an expert on the AKita
breed) saw the dog at the station and followed him to the Kobayashi
home (the home of the former gardener of Professor Ueno — Kikuzaboro
Kobayashi)
where he learned the history of Hachikō's life. Shortly after this
meeting, the former student published a documented census of Akitas in Japan. His research found only 30 purebred Akitas remaining, including Hachikō from Shibuya Station.
Professor Ueno's former student returned frequently to visit the dog
and over the years published several articles about Hachikō's
remarkable loyalty. In 1932 one of these articles, published in Tokyo's
largest newspaper, threw the dog into the national spotlight. Hachikō
became a national sensation. His faithfulness to his master's memory
impressed the people of Japan as a spirit of family loyalty all should
strive to achieve. Teachers and parents used Hachikō's vigil as an
example for children to follow. A well-known Japanese artist rendered a
sculpture of the dog, and throughout the country a new awareness of the
Akita breed grew.
Eventually, Hachiko's legendary faithfulness became a national symbol of loyalty.
Death
Hachikō died on March 8, 1935. He was found on a street in Shibuya. His heart was infected with filarial worms and 3-4 yakitori sticks were found in his stomach. His stuffed and mounted remains are kept at the Natinal Science Museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo.
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