Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog (2024)

FAQs

Who took care of Hachiko after his owner died? ›

But his owner never showed up….. It turned out that Professor Ueno had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and died suddenly and unexpectedly while at work 53 years old. Hachi had been with Professor Ueno for one year and four months by then. Hachi moved in with a former gardener of the Ueno Family, Kozaburo Kobayashi.

The professor had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while he was giving a lecture to his class, and he died without ever returning to the train station at which Hachikō waited. Each day, for the next 9 years, 9 months and 15 days, Hachikō awaited Ueno's return, appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.

Rumor had it that Hachiko died after wolfing down a skewer of grilled chicken — Japanese barbecue called yakitori — that ruptured his stomach. But University of Tokyo veterinarians examining his innards said Wednesday that they found Hachiko had terminal cancer and also a filaria infection — worms.

Hachiko was a real dog who lived in Tokyo in the early 1900s. After his owner passed away, he continued to wait for his owner at a train station everyday. Hachiko became famous for his loyalty and devotion.

Nearly 90 years after his death, “faithful dog Hachikō”, a golden-brown Akita, is admired in Japanese popular culture as an example of loyalty and diligence. He is remembered by local and international fans at a small, quirky shrine at the foot of his owner's grave in Aoyama Cemetery, in central Tokyo.

After Ueno's death in 1925, Hachi was given away and forced to hop between several homes miles away from Shibuya, but he kept running back to the now-famous spot where he used to meet his owner every day. Eventually, he settled at the home of Kikuzaburo Kobayashi, Ueno's former gardener.

A well-known actor, Inoue Masao, befriended Hachikō after he saw him sitting at the station. He bought beef to feed Hachikō but would depart whenever a crowd would form.

Hachi is portrayed by three dogs: Chico, Layla, and Forrest. On May 19, 2012, a bronze statue of the Japanese dog Hachiko was unveiled at the train depot at Woonsocket Depot Square where the film was shot. It is an exact replica of the bronze statue of Hachiko which resides in front of Shibuya Station in Japan.

Hachiko was adopted successively by different residents of Shibuya, and continued to wait for his deceased master until his own death, in 1935. Given the dog's impassive attitude and muscular build, the animal was often a nuisance to the crowd of passengers at the station.

"In the evening, Hachi stood on four legs at the ticket gate and looked at each passenger as if he were looking for someone," writes Prof Itoh. Station employees initially saw him as a nuisance. Yakitori vendors would pour water on him and little boys bullied and hit him.

Did Hachiko get stuffed? ›

Hachiko's fur was preserved and stuffed, and you can still visit him on permanent display at the National Science Museum in Ueno, Tokyo. However, Hachiko's bones were cremated, allowing his ashes to be buried alongside his much-loved master at Aoyama Cemetery, and the pair finally reunited.

Hachi grew sturdy under the loving care of Ueno and his wife Yae. He began accompanying Ueno on his way to work, as far as Shibuya Station, and would wait there in the evening for his master to return.

Hachiko was a cream-white dog of the breed Akita Inu who waited for its master every evening at a train station in Japan long after the master's death.

Even after Dr. Ueno's death and even though Hachi had moved to Asakusa, Hachi running towards Shibuya station which was 8km away was often seen. It continued for a year. Kikusaburo Kobayashi, who lived in Yoyogi, sympathised with Hachi and he took care of him.

Hachi later passes away at his place in the station, while still waiting for Parker who finally comes to seek him in death and they at last reunite, in the afterlife.

Japanese agricultural scientist Hidesaburō Ueno adopted an Akita dog within a year of his birth, and named him Hachi. The kids added 'Ko'. Thus, he became Hachiko.