Dr. Ueno has already kept two dogs named John and S. The new dog came from Tohoku district was named "Hachi." Dr. Ueno loved Hachi so much that he always had a meal with Hachi. Elderly dog John took good care of the puppy Hachi as well. After a short while, three dogs started to see off and go to meet Dr. Ueno together in the every morning and evening at a ticket gate of Shibuya station or the gate of Tokyo University. The meeting places vary depending on the day of the week because of Dr. Ueno's job, but the dogs remembered the places very well.
One day in May 1925, only Hachi went to see Dr. Ueno off in the morning, and this was the last day for Hachi to see Dr. Ueno. On that day, Dr. Ueno was laid up with cerebral hemorrhage in the University after a faculty meeting, and then he passed away. It happened only one year and a few months after Hachi met Dr. Ueno. Hachi, who had no way of finding Dr. Ueno's death, went to meet Dr. Ueno at the gate of University in the evening as usual and waited for Dr. Ueno until it became dark. Since that day, Hachi shut himself in a lumber-room where Dr. Ueno's things were left behind and he did not eat anything for three days. Hachi, John and S went to Shibuya station even after the funeral of Dr. Ueno.
Later, Hachi was entrusted to one of the relatives of Mrs. Ueno and moved from Nihonbashi to Asakusa. However, even after Hachi moved to Asakusa, he ran eight kilometers from Asakusa to Shibuya to see Dr. Ueno every evening and it lasted for one year. The people of the Ueno family could not stand seeing poor Hachi, so they decided to entrust Hachi to Mr. Kikusaburo Kobayashi who was an old gardener for Ueno's family lived in Yoyogi near by Shibuya. As it was no great distance between previous Ueno's residence and Kobayashi's one, Hachi headed for Ueno's house after the meal and run to Shibuya station, and then sit tight in front of the gate.
In 1934, a bronze statue of Hachiko was erected by Mr. Ando and established in front of the ticket gate of Shibuya station. In connection with the establishment of the statue, the ticket gate was named Hachiko-guchi and it remained as a symbol of Shibuya as our favorite meeting spot until today. However in March 1935, Hachiko was found dead at a silence alley on the opposite side of Shibuya station Hachiko used to stay. Hachiko died of filariasis. Hachiko remains at National Science Museum in Ueno as a stuffed animal and his dead body was buried in Aoyama Cemetery, where Hachiko's dearest master Dr. Ueno rests in peace.
Some people said that the reason why Hachiko headed for Shibuya station at designated time every day was that he expected to eat yakitori given by yakitori stall in front of the station. Actually, the result of postmortem, a few spits of yakitori were found in his stomach. However, I believe that he was out of sheer desire to meet Dr. Ueno on that particular time at least during one year period time when Hachiko was running eight kilometers from Asakusa to Shibuya.
Thank you to http://www.jpn-miyabi.com/Vol.43/hachiko-1.html for the above article.
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