Hachiko Memorial Statue - Tokyo, Japan - Satellite Imagery Oddities on Waymarking.com

Hachiko, a golden brown Akita, was born on November 10, 1923 at a farm located in Odate, Akita Prefecture, Japan. In 1924, Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the Tokyo Imperial University, took Hachiko as a pet and brought him to live in Shibuya, Tokyo. Ueno would commute daily to work, and Hachiko would leave the house to greet him at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued the daily routine until May 21, 1925, when Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died without ever returning to the train station in which Hachiko waited.

Each day, for the next nine years, nine months and fifteen days, Hachiko awaited Ueno's return, appearing precisely when the train was due at the station.

Hachiko attracted the attention of other commuters. Many of the people who frequented the Shibuya train station had seen Hachiko and Professor Ueno together each day. Initial reactions from the people, especially from those working at the station, were not necessarily friendly. However, after the first appearance of the article about him in Asahi Shimbun on October 4, 1932, people started to bring Hachiko treats and food to nourish him during his wait.

Hachiko died on March 8, 1935 at the age of 11. He was found on a street in Shibuya. In March 2011, scientists finally settled the cause of death of Hachiko: the dog had both terminal cancer and a filaria infection.

In April 1934, a bronze statue based in his likeness sculpted by Teru Ando was erected at Shibuya Station and Hachiko himself was present at its unveiling. The statue was recycled for the war effort during World War II. In 1948 the Society for Recreating the Hachiko Statue commissioned Takeshi Ando, son of the original artist, to make a second statue. When the new statue appeared, a dedication ceremony occurred. The new statue, which was erected in August 1948, still stands and is a popular meeting spot. The station entrance near this statue is named "Hachiko-guchi", meaning "The Hachiko Entrance/Exit", and is one of Shibuya Station's five exits.

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