STORY
- TOP
- History of Loyal Dog Hachi
History of Loyal Dog Hachi
During Hachi's lifetime
- 1923
- Born in 1923 at Oshinai, Odate to Saito Giichi between Oshinaiyama-go (Male) and Goma-go (Female).
- 1924
- Presented to Professor Ueno, a professor teaching at Tokyo Teikoku University Faculty of Agriculture, and was given the name Hachi
- 1925
- Professor Ueno's sudden passing
- 1932
- Became famous through a news article publishing its unconditional wait for the professor at Shibuya Station
- 1934
- Loyal Dog Hachiko statue erected in front of Shibuya Station. At that time, Hachi was also in attendance of the unveiling ceremony.
- 1935
- March 8th The passing of Hachi. In July, a statue of Hachi was erected in front of Odate Station.
After Hachi's Passing
- 1944
- WW2 called for the collection of all metallic items and the statue in Shibuya was removed and contributed. In the next year, the same was done with the statue erected in Odate.
- 1948
- Hachiko Statue Reconstruction Organising Committee was formed and as of August that year, the second generation of the Hachiko statue was erected in front of Shibuya Station.
- 1987
-
Hachiko statue re-erected in front of Odate Station.
*Now moved to the entrance of Akita Dog Visitor Center.
- 2012
- Statue titled "Ueno Eisaburo and Hachiko" erected in front of Hisai Station, Tsu, Mie, the birthplace of Professor Ueno.
- 2015
- Statue titled "Hachiko and Professor Ueno Eisaburo" erected at Tokyo Teikoku University Faculty of Agriculture.
- 2019
- Tourism facility Akita Dog Visitor Center constructed in front of Odate Station which was modelled after then Shibuya Station.
- 2020
- Aogaeru which once stood at Hachiko Plaza at Shibuya Station moved to the lawn area of Akita Dog Visitor Centre.
- 2022
- Initiation of HACHI100 Project
- 2023
-
Hachi's 100th birthday!
The Story of Hachiko
Hachiko was born during Novmeber 1923 in Odate, Akita.
Just around that time, a professor teaching at Tokyo Teikoku University Faculty of Agriculture by the name of Ueno Eizaburo was searching for a pure Japanese breed dog amd was gifted a puppy around 50 days old. It was given the name Hachi and was dearly loved by the professor.
Hachi grew up to be a fine dog and learned to send-off and welcome the professor. The bond between Hachi and the professor was strong. However, in 1925, the professor succumbed to a brain hemorrhage and suddenly passed away.
After the professor's death, Hachi moved to Asakusa. Although it was 8km away from Shibuya, it travelled to and fro daily. This continued for about a year. Taking Hachi's feelings to heart, Hachi was placed in the care of the Kobayashi family who lived in Yoyogi, a station away from Shibuya. Despite that, Hachi still sat patiently at the train exit of Shibuya station, waiting for the professor to appear. Regardless of sun, rain, or snow, it persevered.
Hachi's actions rallied sympathy from many. Care and consideration towards it were displayed when its health started deteriorating, and station staff kept an eye out on it.
In 1935, Hachi was introduced to the world and was made famous through movies and such. On 5th of March the same year, its Filariasis condition worsened and Hachi passed away 3 days later on March 8th. It was the end of its long and lonely life.
Hachi is laid to eternal rest with Professor Ueno at the Aoyama Cemetery.
The HACHI100 Project was initiated to pass on the moving story of Hachi and Professor Ueno, a bond which transcends the human-pet relatonship, on to the next generation. One of the main events to watch out for is Hachi's 100th birthday celebration happening in November 2023.
HACHI100 Project
