Hachiko - a dog legend

Hachikō was a dog of the Akita breed. He was born in November 1923 and belonged to a Japanese professor named Hidesaburo Ueno. Every day, the dog would pick up its owner, who travelled to work at the university by train, from Shibuya Station. In May 1925, however, the professor died unexpectedly during a lecture and Hachikō waited in vain for his return. Attempts by the professor's relatives to give Hachikō a new home failed. The dog ran away and returned to the station until the family finally gave up trying.

For 10 years, Hachikō stayed where he had last seen his owner. In the early days, the station staff tried to chase him away, but more and more people, including many travellers, took pity after learning of Hachikō's fate. The dog was given food again and again, and a former employee of the professor also made sure that the four-legged friend was doing well.

It was he who eventually wrote an article about the unusual story and found out that Hachikō belonged to a rare lineage and was extremely valuable. When the newspapers picked up the stirring story, it attracted many tourists to the station, where there were even Hachikō dolls for sale, and perhaps still are.

Hachikō died on 8 March 1935, and much later it was discovered that he had cancer when tissue samples were examined. Pictures of the dog's body surrounded by mourning station workers hang in the Shibuya Folk and Literary Shirane Memorial Museum to this day. Hachikō's body, on the other hand, has been taxidermied and is on display at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Tokyo.

There is also a reference to the unusual story on Professor Hedesaburo Ueno's grave in the form of a large stone stele. Another monument stands in front of the station where Hachikō waited in vain for his human for so long.  It is, however, the second monument of its kind. The original had been melted down during the Second World War.

In 2009, the story of Hachikō was made into a film, albeit an American version starring Richard Gere.

The title of the film is "Hachikō - A Wonderful Friendship".

Researched and written down by special request

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

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