Hachiko was owned by Dr. Eisaburo Ueno, who was a professor at Tokyo University. Each morning the dog walked his master to Shibuyu railway station to see him off to work, and returned at 3 PM to greet him, when he came home from the university on the afternoon train.
One day, on 21st May 1925, the doctor left as usual, followed to the train by his 4-legged friend. But on that particularly day, the doctor did not come home again. He had suffered a stroke, and died at the university.
Hachiko returned to the Shibuyu station every day, each morning and each afternoon for 10 years to look for his master. But of course he never returned.
When the people of Tokyo over the years came to notice the extreme devotion of Hachiko, they came to know and love the dog, and supplied him with food and water - many even traveled by, just to feed and pat the dog, and so it became really something to be able to say "I have seen Hachiko". Then finally, on 7th March 1935, the dog was found dead at the station. The long wait for his master had come to the end.
But Hachiko was not forgotten by his fans, and so, in 1943, a small bronze statue was erected in the place where he died, at Shibuyu station. Unfortunately, the statue was lost under the war, as it was confiscated by the government and melted down for ore. But after the war, in 1948, the statue was re-created by the son of the original sculptor, and placed in exactly the same spot as the first statue. This place now has become a special meeting place for lovers, and so the spirit of Hachiko lives on. |
