This is Hachikō. He was an Akita born on Nov. 10, 1923 in Japan. He was sold to Hidesaburo Ueno, a scientist at the University of Tokyo. Ueno named him Hachi after the number 8, which is considered lucky in Japan, and the two became inseparable. Every day, Hachi walked to Shibuya Station with Ueno for his commute, and he returned each evening to pick him up. This routine continued daily until May 21, 1925. On that sad day, Ueno left for work and never returned, after suffering a fatal cerebral hemorrhage while lecturing.
Despite Ueno's absence, Hachi continued to wait for him at the station daily. Hachi bounced between several homes, including some miles from Shibuya, before settling with Ueno’s former gardener. No matter the distance, Hachi returned to the station daily to wait patiently for his owner. In 1932, a former student of Ueno’s published an article about the dog's vigil, and Hachi's story blew up. Hachi became a symbol of loyalty, and “-ko,” a suffix used as a sign of respect, was added to his name. Now called Hachikō, he started receiving pets and treats from people at the station while he awaited his owner.
In 1934, a life-sized statue of the loyal dog was erected at Shibuya Station, and Hachikō himself attended the unveiling ceremony. Hachikō died the next year at the age of 11. Each year since 1936, a solemn ceremony at Shibuya station has been held to honor his devotion. Hachikō's ashes were buried beside Ueno’s in Tokyo. After nine years, nine months and fifteen days, Hachikō was finally reunited with his beloved owner he missed so much. For his perseverance and loyalty, we bestow upon Hachikō the extremely rare (and long overdue) 15/10
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