Hachikō: known in Japanese as 'chūken Hachikō (忠犬ハチ公'(faithful dog Hachikō).
'Hachi' meaning 'eight', a number referring to the dog's birth order in the litter, and 'kō', meaning prince or duke.
Hachiko was an Akita dog born on a farm near the city of Ōdate. Remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, even many years after his owner's death.
Died: March 8, 1935 (aged 11), Shibuya, Tokyo.
Resting place: National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno, Tokyo.
Real Story:
In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo, took in Hachikō as a pet. During his owner's life, Hachikō greeted him at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and died, never returning to the train station where Hachikō was waiting. Every day for the next nine years the golden brown Akita waited at Shibuya station.
Hachikō was given away after his master's death, but he routinely escaped, returning again and again to his old home. Eventually, Hachikō apparently realized that Professor Ueno no longer lived at the house. So he went to look for his master at the train station where he had accompanied him so many times before. Each day, Hachikō waited for the return of his owner.
The permanent fixture at the train station that was Hachikō attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachikō and Professor Ueno together each day. They brought Hachikō treats and food to nourish him during his wait.
This continued for nine years with Hachikō appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.
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