04/01/2022
The Real Life Story of The Faithful Dog.
Nothing quite matches the infinite loyalty and unbreakable bond between a dog and his owner. None of these stories, however, quite surpass the tale of Hachiko, the dog who continually waited for his owner to return home.
This is the real life story of Hachiko the loyal dog.
Hachiko was an Akita Inu dog born on a farm in 1923 and later adopted by Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor of agriculture at the University of Tokyo.
The two fell into a daily routine: Ueno and Hachiko would walk together to the Shibuya train station, where Ueno would pet Hachiko goodbye before getting on the train to work. Hachiko, who also became known as Hachi, would then spend the day waiting for Ueno to come back. In the meantime, local shopkeepers and station workers would keep an eye on him and often give him treats while he held his vigil for Ueno.
This routine continued for several years until one day, tragedy ensued. Ueno never came home from work, as he suffered a brain hemorrhage and died. Of course, Hachi had no idea about this, so the loyal dog continued to wait for his owner’s return. Every day like clockwork, when the train would appear, so would Hachi, searching for Ueno. Hachi’s fidelity earned him the nickname “the faithful dog.”
Hachi never gave up hope and continued to wait for more than nine years for his owner to return. Finally, one morning, on March 8, 1935, Hachiko was found dead. It is believed that he died due to natural causes. His body was taken to the train station’s baggage room, a place that had been one of his favorite hangouts. He was then photographed, surrounded by Ueno’s wife, Yaeko, as well as staff members at the station. Yoshizo Osawa, one of the staff members, gifted the photo to one of his daughters, who recalled that her dad loved dogs and would often tell her about how Hachi would come daily to the station, where staff would happily share their lunches with him.
Although Hachiko’s life ended decades ago, his story continues to live on. After Hachiko’s death, his body was preserved and placed at the National Science Museum of Japan in Tokyo. Additionally, a monument of Hachiko has been placed next to his owner’s tomb in Tokyo’s Aoyama cemetery.
Because Hachi remained loyal to his owner up until Hachi’s death, a bronze statue of Hachiko was erected outside the Shibuya Station as a tribute to the dog. Unfortunately, this statue was destroyed during World War II. Although the original Hachiko dog statue could not be restored, a new one replaced it in the same exact spot at the end of the war in 1948. The spot has become a popular and beloved neighborhood park where tourists can honor and admire the unconditional love of this loyal dog.
This Hachiko statue isn’t the only memorial that honors this incredible dog. The station entrance closest to the statue was renamed “Hachikō-guchi,” or “The Hachikō Entrance/Exit” in Japanese. Furthermore, one of the train lines was also called the Hachiko Line.
In honor of the 80th year of Hachiko’s passing and the 90th anniversary of Hachiko’s owner Ueno’s death, a bronze statue of Hachiko reuniting with Ueno was unveiled on March 8, 2015. The statue was placed outside the University of Tokyo’s agriculture department, where Ueno was a professor.
In 2009, a movie was released in memory of the loyal dog. This is a film based on the true story of Hachiko’s unconditional love for his owner. Although the Hachiko dog movie may be thought of as heartbreaking, those who have watched it agree that it perfectly captures the extraordinary devotion of a dog for his owner.
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