He waited ten years for his beloved master, who unfortunately never came to him again. But from the beginning: it all started before World War II. Hachiko was born on November 10, 1923 in Odete, Japan. As a puppy, he was taken in by Professor Hidesaburo Ueno. The man felt more and more lonely, he was looking for a life companion.
It fell on little Hachiko. The Tokyo professor affectionately called his beloved dog “Hachi”. The Akita Inu quadruped came under his care thanks to the help of one of Ueno’s students – Hirokichi Saito. A unique bond was created between the pet and its new owner, and in a very short time. Hidesaburo Ueno worked in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. Every day he took the train at Shibuya Station and went to work. Hachiko walked him there every day. The dog returned to the same place in the evening to “pick up” his owner from the train and return home with him.
The amazing relationship between man and animal was unfortunately brutally interrupted after less than a year. On May 21, 192, Professor Ueno died unexpectedly at work. The Japanese had a stroke. Hachiko – as every evening – went to the station to fetch his master. However, he has not yet…
The most faithful dog in the world. Hachiko’s sad story
The professor’s widow could no longer provide the dog with proper care. So the quadruped went under the wing of the new owner. Although the man loved the dog and tried his best, Hachiko never forgot about his first master. Even the move didn’t stop him from his daily ritual. The longing dog waited for his best friend every evening at the Shibuya train station.
One day, the dog was spotted by a student of the late Ueno – Hirokichi Saito. He tracked the pet that led home to its new owner. Only there, from the former gardener, under whose wings Hachiko came, he heard a tragic story about longing and faithfulness.
The former student met Hachiko again only after 7 years. The dog continued to walk to the station every evening. Saito decided to tell the story of the unusual animal in an article that appeared in the press in October 1931. The story of Hachiko touched the hearts of the Japanese, who often went to the station just to see Hachi waiting.
The dog came to the station in the hope of meeting his master for a total of 10 years. The quadruped passed away on March 8, 1834 – as a result of progressive cancer, as well as lung and heart helminthiasis. The world’s most faithful dog rests partly at the professor’s side – in Tokyo’s Aoyama Cemetery. The rest of the carcass of the animal was placed in the National Museum of Nature and Art in the capital of Japan.
The moving story of Hachi made the dog receive many honors. The city authorities decided to erect a statue in his honor at Shibuya Station. It was unveiled while the dog was still alive in 1934. Later, it was melted down for war purposes, but in 1948 a second one was erected – in the same place as the original. One of the exits to Shibuya Station, closest to the monument, was also named after the faithful pet. A statue of the dog also stands in his hometown of Odete. A joint monument commemorating Hachiko and the professor was erected in front of the university campus in Tokyo. But that’s not all. Hachiko’s fate was adapted to the screen – first in Japan, and a few years later in America. The unusual dog has also become the hero of children’s books.
Sources: Gazeta.pl/Zoonews.pl/https://historiamniejznanaizapomniana.wordpress.com
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
