HACHIKO: A TRUE STORY OF LOYALTY AND ETERNAL FRIENDSHIP

Are dogs really humankind’s best friends? The story of Hachiko shows they are! This story of loyalty began long ago. Eizaburo Ueno, a professor at Tokyo University, wanted a pure bred Japanese Akita dog for a long time. He looked for the perfect Akita puppy. Finally, one of his students encouraged him to adopt a little puppy. Hachiko became best friends with his new owner. Eiz- aburo adored his new dog and treated him like his son. The two of them were inseparable. As Hachiko grew older and bigger, he would see Eizaburo off to work every morning at the Shibuya train station, in Tokyo, and went to pick him up at the station in the afternoon when he returned from work. On May 21, 1925, just two years after Hachiko the dog was born, Hachiko was sitting by the platform exit at Shibuya train station patiently waiting for his beloved Eizaburo as usual. However, his owner never arrived... Eizaburo had suffered a major stroke at work and sadly died as a result. Hachiko was given to a new owner after his Eizaburo’s death; however, he often escaped, turning up at his old home again and again. Eventually, Hachiko realised that Eizaburo didn’t live at the same house. So, he decided to go and search for his master at the train station where he accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachiko waited for Ueno to return. However, each day his old master wasn’t among the many commuters at the station. On March 8, 1935, Hachiko gave up his long search and laid down to die in the exact place where he had spent a decade waiting each day for Ueno to come home. Hachiko was buried next to Eizaburo’s grave.

A local Japanese newspaper reporter heard the story of Hachiko in 1932 and published it, which eventually led to the little dog becoming a huge celebrity all over the country. The Japanese began calling him “Chuken-Hachiko”, which translates as “Hachiko – the faithful dog”. Eventually, the story of Hachiko’s loyalty reached the ears of people all over the world; as a result, a Hollywood film based on Hachiko’s story was produced in 2009 and starred Richard Gere. Many years later, the locals built a statue in Hachiko’s honour near Shibuya station. Hachiko’s statue remains a poignant symbol of Hachiko’s unwavering loyalty to his best friend.