Hachiko Statue At Shibuya Station (2004-10-22)
One of the exits in Shibuya (
) train station is called
Hachiko. It is named after a Japanese native Akita (
) dog called
Hachi and its statue is prominently displayed outside that exit.
Hachi was a very loyal dog and his story was very touching and sad.Dr Ueno (
) acquired Hachi when it was just fifty days old in
1923. The Uenos had no children of their own and had kept several
dogs at home. Hachi was particularly close to his master and they
developed a special bond between them. Everyday Hachi would
accompany Dr Ueno to the train station to go to work and in the evening
he would wait for him outside the station to walk the professor
home. Their loving friendship only lasted 17 months.
On May 21st 1925 Hachi accompanied Dr Ueno to the train station for
the last time because the professor suffered a stroke at work and died
instantly. Hachi waited as usual in the evening outside the
station but his master would never return. Later on Mrs Ueno moved to
Asakusa (
) and Hachi walked 8km from home to Shibuya thinking of meeting
Dr
Ueno. Hachi had no idea his beloved master had gone. Not
long after his lengthy trek, a Mr Kobayashi from Yoyogi, which is close
to Shibuya, adopted Hachi. Every night after dinner, the loyal
dog went to Shibuya station and sat in front of the exit. He did
that under scorching heat, on rainy days and in freezing snowing
evenings, a ritual he continued to do until the day he died. He
just wanted to pick his master up from work.
Hachi was a docile and tamed dog. He had not once growled or
bared his teeth at people. Because of his gentle nature, he was
bitten by another dog and ended up with a flopping left ear.
In 1932 Asahi Newspaper printed an article of Hachi and he became
famous in Japan. His news and unusual loyal behavior even spread
overseas, movies were made about him as a result. In 1934
donation was collected for the purpose of making a statue of Hachi and
people lovingly called the dog Hachiko which means Mr Old
Hachi. On March 8th 1935 Hachi died of heartworm disease at the
age of 13. His body was stuffed and kept at the National Science
Museum of Japan in Ueno. A tombstone was erected in Aoyama (
) Cemetery
beside Dr Ueno's grave. He was finally with his master.
The more I walk past his statue, the more I respect Hachi, and
animals in general.
PS: Many thanks to JJ for correcting me regarding the remains of Hachiko.
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