Hachiko (born November 10, 1923, died March 8, 1935), sometimes known in Japanese as ---- (ch?ken hachiko, lit. 'faithful dog Hachik?'), was an Akita dog born in the city of Odate, Akita Prefecture remembered for his loyalty to his master.
In 1924, Hachiko was brought to Tokyo by his owner, Hidesamuro Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. During his owner's life, Hachik? saw him off from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. Even after Ueno's death in May 1925, Hachiko returned every day to the station to wait for him, and did so for the next 11 years.
Hachiko's devotion moved those around him, who nicknamed him "faithful dog". Some kindly vendors who saw the dog waiting every day would give him small bits of food and water. This has caused some people to say that he only returned to the station in order to receive these treats, but this does not answer why he would return only at the time his master's train was due, and not remain begging after.
That same year, another of Ueno's former students (who had become something of an expert on Akitas) saw the dog at the station and followed him to the Kobayashi home where he learned the history of Hachiko's life. Shortly after this meeting, the former student published a documented census of Akitas in Japan. His research found only 30 purebred Akitas remaining, including Hachiko from Shibuya Station.
Ueno's former student returned frequently to visit the dog and over the years published several articles about
Hachiko's remarkable loyalty. In 1932 one of these articles, published in Tokyo's largest newspaper, threw the dog into the national spotlight. Hachiko became a sensation throughout the land. His faithfulness to his master's memory impressed the people of Japan as a spirit of family loyalty all should strive to achieve. Teachers and parents used Hachiko's vigil as an example for children to follow. A well-known Japanese artist rendered a sculpture of the dog, and throughout the country a new awareness of the Akita breed grew.
Hachiko died on March 8, 1935, of filariasis.
His stuffed and mounted remains are kept at the National Science Museum in Ueno, Tokyo.
source: wikipedia.org
Topic: The Dog who Waits for his owner for 11 years (Read 2341 times)