Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, March 13, 2021

12 Mountain View News Saturday, March 13, 2021 12 Mountain View News Saturday, March 13, 2021 
CHRISTOPHER Nyerges 



HACHIKO: a story of love 

[Nyerges’ is an author and teacher. For more information, see www.SchoolofSelf-Reliance.
com] 

It has long been noted that the dog is the most loyal animal, and that man and 
dog have a unique friendship. This unique bond has been demonstrated over 
and over , in countless stories. 
One of the most unique, and touching, stories is the story of the Akita named Hachiko, the dog 
who always waited at the train station for his owner’s return, and who continued to wait for his 
owner nine years after he died. 

The true story of Hachiko has been called one of the greatest stories of a loyal dog. At least two 
movies have been made about Hachiko. 

Hachiko was an Akita Inu dog born on November 10, 1023, at a farm near the Japanese city of 
Odate, in the Akita Prefercture. He was adopted by Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor of agriculture 
at the University of Tokyo. Ueno kept Hachiko in the yard, but Hachiko would dig under 
the fence and follow Ueno to the train station each day. 

The two fell into a daily routine: Ueno and Hachiko would walk together to the Shibuya train 
station, where Ueno would pet Hachiko goodbye before getting on the train to work. Hachiko, 
who also became known as Hachi. (The dog was called “Hachi,” meaning “eight,” and the suffix 
“ko” was added as a title of honor.) 

In some accounts, Hachiko would spend the day waiting for Ueno to come back, and in other 
accounts, he’d go home but would come back to the station each day when Ueno returned. 
Local vendors and workers at the train station got to know Hachiko, and would watch out for 
him, and often feed him until Ueno returned. 

This routine continued for several years until one day, Ueno suffered a brain hemorrhage and 
died. Ueno never returned, but since no one told Hachi what had happened, the loyal dog continued 
to wait for his owner’s return. Every day like clockwork, when the train ar-rived, Hachi 
waited for Ueno. Hachiko did this for more than nine years following the death of Ueno! Local 
people, seeing Hachi’s faithful waiting for his master, called Ha-chi “the faithful dog.” 

This story has continued to inspire people around the world up to this day. The tale of the 
Hachiko story has resulted in several Hachiko memorials and at least two Hachiko movies that 
documented the story of the incredible bond that formed between Hachiko and Ueno.
Hachi maintained this ritual of waiting for Ueno for more than nine years. Then, one morning, 
on March 8, 1935, Hachiko was found dead, apparently from natural causes. 

Hachiko’s body was taken to the train station’s baggage room, which had been one of his favorite 
hangouts. He was then photographed, surrounded by Ueno’s wife, Yaeko, as well as staff 
members at the station. At that time, Yoshizo Osawa, one of the staff members, re-called how 
Ueno loved dogs and how Hachi would come daily to the station, where staff would happily 
share their lunches with him. 

Because the story of this great bond spread, after Hachiko’s death, the body was pre-served 
and placed at the National Science Museum of Japan in Tokyo. Additionally, a mon-ument of 
Hachiko has been placed next to his owner’s tomb in Tokyo’s Aoyama cemetery. 

A bronze statue of Hachiko was erected outside the Shibuya Station as a tribute to the in-credibly 
loyalty of the dog. The original statue was destroyed during the hostilities of WWII, and it 
could not be restored. In 1948, a new one was made and replaced in the same exact spot after 
the war. Today, this spot has become a popular park where tourists can honor and remember 
the unconditional love of Hachiko. 

This Hachiko statue isn’t the only memorial that honors this incredible dog. The station entrance 
closest to the statue was renamed “Hachikō-guchi,” or “The Hachikō En-trance/Exit” in 
Japanese. Furthermore, one of the train lines was also called the Hachiko Line.
In honor of the 80th year of Hachiko’s passing and the 90th anniversary of Hachiko’s owner 
Ueno’s death, a bronze statue of Hachiko reuniting with Ueno was unveiled on March 8, 2015. 
The statue was placed outside the University of Tokyo’s agriculture de-partment, where Ueno 
was a professor.
This story was made into a movie in Japan, as well as the Richard Gere movie in English, 
“Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” in 2009, with an ending that you really must see. Let’s just say that it’s a 
tear-jerker and everyone in the audience is always crying at the end. 


Sugary “SHIRO” 

Sweet as sugar,
SHIRO could win 
a beauty contest!
Shiro, which 
means “white” in 
Japanese, has thebeautiful look of 
a Turkish Angora.


She is a green-eyed precious peach of a pearl of a girl! She’s a gentle and also playful 
sweet-natured beauty who loves to be stroked and petted. When this long-leggedcharmer rubs up against you with her silky softness and long, fluffy tail, it is SIMPLYDIVINE! Age about 3 years, spayed, current on health & vaccines. Purr-fect! See theadoption application on our website to apply. See more pictures, adoption information 
and application on our website at the Adult Cats page at www.lifelineforpets.org. 

Pet of the Week

 Four-year-old Micken came to the shelter with elevenother cats as part of a hoarding case, and he’s lookingfor his second chance! Micken is a sweetie who loves 
being next to his foster parent or on their lap. He evenlikes belly rubs and being combed! He may need alittle time to get to know you, but once he does, he’san affectionate kitty who will bring a lot of warmth toyour life.

 The adoption fee for cats is $100. All cat adoptions


include spay or neuter, microchip, and age-appropriate

vaccines. 

New adopters will receive a complimentary health-and-wellness exam from VCA 

Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag filled with information about how to care

for your pet.

 View photos of adoptable pets and schedule a virtual adoption appointment at

pasadenahumane.org. Adoptions are by appointment only, and new adoption

appointments are available every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. for the following week.

 Pets may not be available for adoption and cannot be held for potential adopters byphone calls or email. 

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