Hachiko, a dog who was always loyal, turned Tokyo’s Shibuya train station into the stage for his daily vigil from 1925 to 1935, hoping against hope that his dead owner would come back.
Hachiko wasn’t simply a pet; he was the loyal friend of a university professor who waited for him to come home from work at the local train station every night.
When the professor died suddenly, it was a tragedy. Hachiko had to keep watch at the station for over ten years.
Despite the fact that some station workers didn’t like it, Hachiko kept doing what he did every day.
Over time, Hachiko’s unflinching dedication won the hearts of the station workers and made him a worldwide sensation and a symbol of loyalty.
This is the real story of Hachiko, the dog who was the most faithful dog in history.
How Hachiko and his owner Hidesaburō Ueno met?
On November 10, 1923, a white Akita named Hachiko was born on a farm in Ōdate, Akita Prefecture, Japan.
At the same time, Ueno Hidesaburō, a professor in the Department of Agriculture at Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo), was looking for a purebred Japanese dog. A kind student in Akita got the puppy from Saitō for Ueno.
Akita-inu dogs are known for being big, kind, and having thick, fluffy coats. They are also very loyal, which has made them popular all over the world.
They were created in the 1630s by crossing Matagi hunting dogs with local breeds. They were bred to be good at fighting.
In January 1924, a 50-day-old puppy set out on a 20-hour train adventure to Ueno Station in Tokyo, cozily bundled in a rice bag to ward off the winter cold.
Shortly after, he was sent to the home of Ueno Hidesaburō, near Shibuya Station.
Despite being childless, the professor showered affection on the pup, letting him snuggle under his bed and joining him for meals.
The name Hachi was chosen for the dog because, when he stood, his front legs formed the shape of the character 八, which means “eight” and is pronounced hachi.
Sudden Separation
Ueno and Hachiko followed the same path to work every day. Every morning, the two of them would go to Shibuya Station, where Ueno would catch the train to work.
Ueno would take the train home after school and get to the station on time at 3 p.m. Hachiko waited anxiously for his friend there, eager to go home with him.
This went on until May 21, 1925, when Ueno didn’t come back.
The professor had a brain bleed when he was giving a lecture to his class, and he died before he could get back to the train station where Hachiko was waiting.
The Story of Hachiko Became a National Sensation
At first, the people who worked at the station weren’t very nice to Hachiko, but his loyalty won them over.
Soon, they were bringing the loyal dog treats and even spending time with him now and then.
Hachiko was at the station every day, even as the days stretched into weeks, then months, and finally years. His influence went well beyond that, making him a well-known figure in the Shibuya neighborhood.
Hirokichi Saito, a former student of Professor Ueno and an authority on the Akita breed, heard about Hachiko’s story.
Saito, who had become an authority on the Akita breed, saw the dog at the station and followed it to the home of Ueno’s old gardener, Kozaburo Kobayashi. There, he told the story of Hachiko’s life.
Saito did a full census of Akitas throughout Japan not long after the conference. His research showed that there are only 30 purebred Akitas left, including Hachiko from Shibuya Station.
He went to see Hachiko often, and throughout the years he wrote a number of stories on how faithful the dog was.
One of his pieces in the Asahi Shimbun in 1932 put the dog in the national spotlight.
People in Japan were impressed by how loyal he was to his master’s memory. They saw it as a spirit of family loyalty that everyone should try to live up to. Parents and teachers told kids to follow Hachiko’s example.
On March 8, 1935, Hachiko’s story came to an end when he was found dead in the streets of Shibuya at the age of 11.
In March 2011, experts finally figured out how Hachiko died: he had both terminal cancer and a filaria infection.
The Legacy of Hachiko
Hachiko’s body was burned after he died, and his ashes were placed in Aoyama Cemetery in Minato, Tokyo, next to the ashes of his adored master, Professor Ueno.
A lot of people, both young and elderly, came to pay their respects, including staff from Yae and Shibuya Station.
After Hachiko died, his fur was preserved, and his taxidermy mount is on exhibit at the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo.
In April 1934, Teru Ando made a bronze statue of him that was put up at Shibuya Station.
During World War II, the statue was used again during the war. Takeshi Ando, the son of the first artist, sculpted a second monument in 1948.
The new statue, which was put up in August 1948, is still there and is a popular place to meet.
The entrance to the station near this statue is called “Hachikō-guchi,” which means “The Hachiko Entrance/Exit.” It is one of five exits at Shibuya Station.
On March 9, 2015, the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Tokyo erected a bronze statue of Ueno going back to meet Hachiko at the university in Japan. This was done to honor the 80th anniversary of Hachiko’s death.
Every year on March 8, there is a solemn ceremony at Shibuya Station to honor Hachiko’s dedication. Hundreds of dog lovers often come to pay their respects to him and his loyalty.
Yaeko Sakano: Ueno’s Wife
Yaeko Sakano, who was also known as Yaeko Ueno, was Hidesaburō Ueno’s lover for roughly ten years until he died in 1925. Hachiko was always very happy and loving when she came to see him.
Yaeko died on April 30, 1961, at the age of 76. She wished to be buried next to Ueno, but her family buried her in a temple in Taitō instead.
In 2013, a University of Tokyo scholar named Sho Shiozawa unearthed records that showed Yaeko wanted to be buried with Ueno.
A special service took performed in Aoyama Cemetery on May 19, 2016. The Ueno and Sakano families were both there.
Some of Yaeko Sakano’s ashes were buried with Ueno and Hachiko during the ritual. They wrote her name and the date she died on her tombstone. This brought Hachiko’s family back together.
Shiozawa added, “Putting both of their names on the grave helps future generations understand that Hachiko had two special people in his life.” Matsui said, “Ueno was like a father to Hachiko, and Yaeko was like a mother.”
Hachiko’s Story in Pop Culture
Long before the war, the story of Hachiko affected people all across the world. Helen Keller, an American teacher and disability rights activist, even went to see his statue in 1937.
She loved Hachiko’s story so much that she wanted her own Akita-inu. Someone gave her one in 1937, and when it died in 1939, she got another one.
Richard Gere was in the American movie “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” in 2009. It was a remake of the Japanese movie “The Story of Hachiko” from 1987 by Shindō Kaneto.
Gere, who also made the American version, said that reading the script made him cry.
Saitō Hirokichi, who spent his life protecting Japanese dog breeds, said, “When we think of Hachiko’s loyalty at Shibuya Station, it’s like a moving story of faithful service.”
But Hachiko’s love for his owner was just love. All dogs, not just Hachiko, have this kind of love that is unconditional and absolute.
(Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons / Pinterest / Flickr).
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