Hachiko Symbolically Finds Her Master Thanks To A New Statue

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the death of the famous Japanese dog, Hachiko, the University of Tokyo erected a bronze statue on its campus to honor his loyalty and fidelity. The artwork depicts Hackiho along with its owner, Ueno. Below we recall and share with you some aspects of this wonderful story, in which love is one of the main protagonists.

An extraordinary story of fidelity

In 1924, Eisaburō Ueno, a professor of agriculture at the University of Tokyo, adopted Hachiko as a pet. Every day, this Akita dog accompanied its owner to the Shibuya train station. But one day in May 1925, everything changed: Ueno never returned.

Ueno had a brain hemorrhage and died. For this he did not return to the Shibuya train station, where Hachiko continued to wait for him. But the story does not end here. From that day on, and for the next nine years, the dog continued to wait at the station, waiting for its owner to return. In the end, Hachiko’s dream did not come true : in April 1935 he died of cancer.

But all is not so sad. Now, as we said, thanks to the initiative of the University of Tokyo, dog and owner can be together forever, thanks to a statue that commemorates this fantastic story.

For his devotion to his master, Hachiko has become a legendary figure and his history has transcended the borders of Japan, becoming a real testament to how dogs can be immensely loyal to their owners.

Curious data

Hachiko’s story has fascinated hundreds of animal lovers. Below we tell you some curious facts about this story that has become part of the deepest sense of popular culture, not only in Japan but throughout the world. Let’s go and discover them.

Did you know that while Hachiko is undoubtedly the most famous character in history, her owner, Hidesaburo Ueno, has also made a notable contribution to Japanese society? That’s right, he has been teaching at the University of Tokyo for over 20 years and is considered a renowned scholar in the field of agricultural engineering.

In Japan there are several monuments that refer to this incredible dog. A statue of Hachiko stands in front of Odate station. Also, in 2004, a new statue was erected in front of the Akita Dog Museum.

Every year on April 8, hundreds of dog lovers gather at the Shibuya train station to honor Hachiko’s loyalty.

In 1987, the first film inspired by this touching story was shot. The Japanese film, titled “The Tale of Hachiko” achieved a great success with the public. The same fate befell the United States, with the film “Hachiko-Your Best Friend”, starring Richard Gere, in 2009.

Hachiko is also the title of a children’s book, published in 2004. “Hachiko: The True Story of a Faithful Dog,” written by Pamela S. Turner and illustrated by Yan Nascimbene. Another children’s book, also inspired by the famous animal, is the novel “Hachiko Waits”, written by Leslea Newmanand.

In 1994, a Japanese cultural organization managed to recover a recording of Hachiko’s bark, recorded on an old record.

In “Jurassic Bark”, in the 7th episode of the 4 season of the animated series Futurama, there is a large homage to Hachiko.

Also in the series “Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword,” he makes reference to Hachiko. Indeed, Vilma explains the legend to Scooby, while the latter takes a picture with the statue of the famous dog.

The story of Hachiko’s loyalty, even if with some differences, could be linked to the loyalty shown also by Argos, the dog friend of Odysseus.

Some recent theories question the loyalty Hachiko showed to her master. A hypothesis, which aroused controversy among the supporters of the famous dog, states that the latter returned to the train station because there Ueno used to give him some yakitori, a typical Japanese dish based on chicken. And what do you think of it? Did Hachiko keep going to the station out of fidelity or because she expected to find a tasty morsel?