Dog, Hachiko Faithfully Waiting 11 Years for its Master at Railway Station
Interesting Stuff
An exemplary loyalty shown by an Akita breed dog in Japan named Hachiko who was born on 10th November, 1923 had been waiting 11 years for its master’s return from work at railway station even though his master died in 1925.
In Japan, the dog who was known as忠犬 ハチ公 (chūken hachikō, lit. ‘faithful dog Hachikō’) was brought to Tokyo by its Master, a professor in agricultural department at the University of Tokyo. The dog did the routine of greeted him at the front dog before he left for work and even waited for him at the railway station for his return to home. Even though his master died a year later in 1925, Hachiko continued to wait for its master until its death in 1935. What’s a sad ending for Hachiko’s unwavering loyalty.
The breaking news was only made know to public when one of the professor students noticed and documented the dog returned precisely when the train was due at the station in the evening to one of the Tokyo’s largest newspaper. Some vendors might doubt for Hachiko roaming around the station looking for food until they were told of the story but the dog never came at other times.
Soon, Hachiko became a national figure in Japan and his display of its loyalty was widely used as an example for Japanese children to emulate. An artist did a bronze sculpture of the dog which was erected at Shibuya Station and has since become a popular meeting spot in Japan.