Hachiko: The True Story of a Legend

Still from the film about Hachiko

Almost every person who plans to get a dog dreams of eventually getting a devoted friend for many years.

Most movie fans and dog lovers remember the film starring Richard Gere about the loyalty of a four-legged pet.

And this is not the only film that talks about the love of a dog for its owner. Hachiko's story is not a fictional scenario; all the situations described actually happened in Japan.

Let's plunge into the world of devotion and fidelity, true friendship between man and animal. Who is Hachiko? What breed of dog? We will talk about this further.

Hachiko: the true story of the legend (16 photos)

Author: Queen's lapdog

February 22, 2022 12:00

Community: Animals

Tags: loyalty pets and animals devotion dogs touching photo Hachiko

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The dog Hachiko has become a symbol of loyalty and devotion for the whole world. Every day he met his master returning from work at the Tokyo station - and continued to wait for him for many years after his unexpected death. A monument to Hachiko stands at the site of his eternal waiting. But there are also photographs of Hachiko waiting for his owner, Professor Ueno, at the train station in Tokyo. Look at the living legend!

See all photos in the gallery

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Hachiko, an Akita dog, was born in the fall of 1923 on a farm in Odate, Akita Prefecture, Japan. A year later, Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor at the Department of Agriculture at the Tokyo Imperial University, became its owner. He lived in Tokyo, in the Shibuya area. Every day he went to work at the university, and Hachiko remained waiting for him at Shibuya Station until the evening. In the evening he met the professor, and they went home together. But on May 21, 1925, Ueno did not return from work. During the lecture, he suffered an acute stroke and died without regaining consciousness. Hachiko did not know what happened to his master, and still waited for him at Shibuya Station, refusing to leave and becoming a local landmark over the years.

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Hachiko waited for his owner at Shibuya Station for 9 years, 9 months and 15 days, until his death. For people all over the world, this dog has become a symbol of loyalty and devotion.

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More than once they tried to take Hachiko away from the station and leave him to live in the house, but he always left and returned to his post.

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On October 4, 1932, the first article about Hachiko was published in the Japanese press. Thus, during his lifetime, the dog became a national hero.

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Ironically, the author of the article turned out to be one of Professor Ueno's students. He studied Akita dogs and, seeing Hachiko at the station, became interested in him - after all, purebred Akitas were very rare in Japan at that time. He followed the man who came to visit Hachiko. It turned out to be Kizaburo Kobayashi, Professor Ueno's former gardener. He told the author the story of a devoted dog.

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The Japanese were touched by the dog's loyalty.

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People began to come to the station to look at Hachiko, pet him, or bring him something tasty.

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Very soon Hachiko gained national fame.

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In 1934, the famous Japanese sculptor Teru Anda created a bronze statue of Hachiko. Alas, during World War II it was sent by the authorities to be melted down.

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In 1948, Anda's son managed to restore the statue, which still stands outside Shibuya Station.

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The exit from the station next to the statue is called “Hachiko exit” by the Japanese.

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Hachiko died on March 8, 1935 at the age of 11.

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According to doctors, the cause of death was terminal stage cancer.

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Hachiko was cremated and buried at Tokyo's Aoyama Cemetery next to her owner.

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Hachiko's skin was preserved. She was made into a stuffed animal, which is on permanent display at the National Science Museum of Japan.

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Interesting Facts

Akita Inu dogs have always been in demand in Japan, but after the release of the film about Hachiko, a real boom in these animals began. The first mention of the breed appeared in 1600. Scientists confirm that such dogs were the guards of kings and were often taken hunting.

Akita Inu dog

This breed appeared in America by accident. A certain Helen Keller brought a puppy back from a trip to Japan. In the land of the rising sun, she learned about the touching story of a little faithful friend and got a puppy, who turned out to be a pioneer in the United States. The pet brought a lot of joy to the owner, but soon died of distemper. The Japanese government, having learned about what had happened, gave Keller the brother of the deceased dog.
After World War II, American soldiers stationed in Asia returned home with Akita Inu puppies. Since 1956, this breed has actively spread to the United States, and the American Akita with stronger immunity was bred.

American Akita

There has been heated debate among dog breeders for a long time about the varieties of Akita Inu, but in 1972 the American breed was officially accepted into the US Kennel Club. A distinctive feature of these animals was loyalty and courage. Once upon a time, they were looking for a helper for an orphaned tiger cub in an American zoo and chose an Akita puppy.
Akita dogs are distinguished by their kindness, commitment to family, love of children, loyalty and fearlessness. These are true friends and life partners. Therefore, there are many art photos and memes on the Internet praising this breed.

Impact on culture

Hachiko's story was the basis for the 1987 film The Story of Hachiko (ハチ公物語) and the 2009 remake Hachiko: A True Friend.
There is a reference to the story of the dog Hachiko in the Jurassic Bark episode of the Futurama animated series. In it, the main character Fry, before he was accidentally frozen and sent to the future, fed a stray dog who was, in his words, “one of his only friends.” While Fry was frozen, the dog waited for him outside the pizzeria where Fry worked throughout his life. In the same episode, Fry finds the remains of his dog and tries to resurrect him.
The Hachiko Monument is the centerpiece of one of the missions in The World Ends with You
for Nintendo DS. There you need to cleanse the statue from the curse associated with the plot of the game. It also mentions the so-called Hachiko-fest - an annual pilgrimage to the Hachiko monument, known throughout Japan.

Notes

[www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=5951810 Hachiko on findagrave.com]. Retrieved October 20, 2009. [www.webcitation.org/66UjjNUUd Archived from the original on March 28, 2012].
↑ 12
[search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090625f1.html Hollywood the latest to fall for tale of Hachiko], The Japan Times (06/25/2009). [archive.is/hsea Archived] from the original on December 5, 2012.
[kotobank.jp/word/%E5%85%AC Kō (公)]. Kotobank. — “人や動物の名前に付けて，親しみ，あるいはやや軽んずる気持ちを表す。”
↑ 1 2 Shapareva G.
[www.akita-hachimantai.com/history.html Faithful friend from the Land of the Rising Sun]. [www.webcitation.org/65dZMChE1 Archived from the original on February 22, 2012].
Mystery solved in death of legendary Japanese dog news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_japan_faithful_dog
Associated Press, "[archive.is/20120729090057/search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110304a5.html Worms, not skewer, did in Hachiko]", Japan Times
, 4 March 2011, p. 1.
[archive.travel.ru/japan/106774.html Let's meet at Hachiko's]. [www.webcitation.org/66UjkIgCu Archived from the original on March 28, 2012].
[www.kahaku.go.jp/english/news/2007/0417open/info.html Opening of the completely refurbished Japan Gallery of National Museum of Nature and Science] “In addition to the best-loved specimens of the previous permanent exhibitions, such as the faithful dog Hachikō, the Antarctic explorer dog Jiro and Futabasaurus suzukii, a plesiosaurus native to Japan, the new exhibits feature a wide array of newly displayed items.” 2007 National Science Museum, Ueno, Tokyo.
[www.northlandakitas.com/akitahistory/ahistory.htm A History Of The Akita Dog]. Akita Learning Center. Retrieved May 6, 2011. [www.webcitation.org/68GNdZyJA Archived from the original on June 8, 2012].

Later years

The next day, Hachiko ran to the station again. He met the trains again, hoping to see his friend among the people. I waited until the evening - until the last train. At night he returned home, but did not go into the house itself; he spent the night on the porch. And the next morning history repeated itself. And again, and again...

Numerous relatives and friends of Professor Ueno tried to place the dog with new owners, took it for themselves - he ran away from everywhere. Feeling sorry for the faithful dog, they told him that his friend had died - but Hachiko refused to believe it. He was firmly convinced: his beloved owner was alive, and he would certainly return, he just had to wait. And he waited. Every day until late evening, Hachiko waited at the station, without missing a single train. Local merchants and railway workers also took pity on the dog, fed him, and tried to take him away with them. Hachiko was friendly with everyone, but did not recognize any replacement for his friend - and still returned to his usual place.

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