Hachiko, the symbol of friendship and loyalty, he turned 100-years-old this year. Hachiko, nicknamed Hachi, was a Japanese Akita dog, who became famous for his unending love towards his owner named Hidesaburō Ueno, who took Hachiko as a pet in 1924.
The Long Painful Wait
Hidesaburō Ueno was a professor at Tokyo University when he took Hachiko as his pet and brought him to his home in Shibuya, Tokyo. Soon Hachiko started going to the train station with Ueno daily to say goodbye and would greet him during his master’s return from work at the exact same train station. On May 21, 1925, Ueno suffered a cerebral hemorrhage during his lecture and died without returning to the train station, and since then, Hachiko waited for nine years to greet his master.
The Legacy
Hachiko became famous across the country for his loyalty towards his master when Japanese daily Tokyo Asahi Shimbun published his story in 1932. The 100-year-old has since been remembered in movies, literature, poems for his timeless love and loyalty towards Ueno. Hachiko died on March 8, 1935, when he was only 11 years old.
