Tribute to an Akita dog’s faithfulness and loyalty
This is a very moving story that I came across when I was researching the Akita breed. I still cannot help but shed a tear every time I read it. Dogs earned the title of “man’s best friend” for a very good reason. Keep reading and you’ll see why…
Many years ago, there lived a great Akita dog that left its print on Japan’s history with his unconditional love and loyalty for his owner. This dog was born in November, 1923, in the city Odate, Akita Prefecture. A professor named Eisaburo Ueno who lived in a Suburb of Tokyo (close to Shibuya train station) became this dog’s owner in 1924, and named him Chu-ken Hachiko (the faithful dog Hachiko). They bonded quickly, and became inseparable.
Everyday, Hachiko would accompany Eisaburo on his way to work, to the train station, and then wait for him patiently, upon his return. On May 21, 1925, Hachiko was waiting as usual for his friend to come back, but Eisaburo never showed up. The professor had tragically and unexpectedly died while at work.
Faithful Hachiko never gave up on his friend, and continued to wait for him everyday, at the train station, for the next 10 years or so. Sometimes he wouldn’t return home for several days in a row. The professor’s relatives and friends took him in and cared for him, but he continued to go to the station everyday. The Akita dog became a familiar sight to Shibuya train travelers. On March 8th, 1935, at the age of 11 years and 4 months, Hachiko passed away on the same spot where he last saw his owner alive.
Hachiko’s story was made public throughout Japan for the first time in October 4, 1933. Many suggestions were made to erect a statue at the station, in Hachiko memory. One statue was erected on his waiting spot at Shibuya station, in 1934. The place has become an important rendezvous point in Tokyo. A second less known statue was also erected in 1935, in front of the Odate station (Hachiko’s birthplace). Both statues were melted down during WWII to help the Japanese military, but they were re-erected in 1947 and 1987 respectively. After his death, Hachiko was mounted and stuffed. It is now on display at the Tokyo Museum of Art.
