Dog Names Meaning Love

One of the greatest love stories that involves a canine is that of Hachiko, a Japanese Akita. He was owned by Eizaburo Ueno. When Hachiko was a young puppy, Eizaburo, an agricultural professor, adopted him at the encouragement of his students.

Hachi, as Hachiko was lovingly called by his owner, formed a deep bond with his human. Eizaburo also adored the canine and treated him as if he was his son. They were inseparable and went everywhere together. Daily, in the afternoon, Hachi would sit beside the Shibuya train station to wait for his owner to come home from work. On March 21, 1925, the dog waited and waited but his beloved owner did not arrive. Eizaburo had died at work after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage.

Hachiko was cared for by a local gardener after his owner’s death but for a decade the dog would traverse to the train station every afternoon in the hopes that his owner would arrive on the train. The dog’s loyalty gained him widespread notoriety across Japan and people started to refer to him as  “Chuken-Hachiko”, which means “Hachiko – the faithful dog”. Many people would come to the train station to offer the dog treats to try to alleviate his sorrow. In 1934, a bronze statue was erected at the train station in honor of the loyal dog. Hachi was present to see the statue unveiling.

On March 8, 1935. Hachi passed away on the street near the train station that he had visited for over a decade. The dog’s body was stuffed and he sits on display at the National Science Museum in Ueno, Tokyo. A statue of Hachi was also erected at his owner’s grave. The statue of Hachi that was originally erected at the train station would be taken down during World War II and melted down for use during the war movement. However, a new statue was erected in its place and is now one of the most visited sites in Japan. The bronze statue has become a favorite site for lovers to rendezvous.  

The train station also boasts a lovely mosaic art wall that features numerous depictions of Hachi. The fame of Hachiko has spread around the world. Both Hollywood and Japan created major motion pictures that tell the story of love and loyalty between Hachi and his owner. Books have also been written that tell the endearing and timeless story. When looking for an example of true undying love shared between a human and a dog then look no further than the story of Hachi and Eizaburo Ueno.