Hachiko

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A legendary dog known for its unwavering loyalty, particularly in waiting for its owner at a train station every day after his death
2. A symbol of fidelity and devotion, often associated with a statue at Shibuya Station in Tokyo, where it would wait for its owner
3. An enduring example of unconditional love, representing the bond between humans and dogs, celebrated in stories and films

Etymology: Hachiko was an Akita dog born in 1923 on a farm near Odate in northern Japan. His owner, the University of Tokyo professor Hidesaburo Ueno, took him to Tokyo, where the dog met his master at Shibuya Station each evening. In May 1925 Ueno died suddenly at work, but the Akita kept returning to the station every day for roughly nine more years, until his own death in 1935. Newspaper reports of his vigil made him famous across Japan, and a bronze statue of him was unveiled at Shibuya in 1934 while he was still alive. The word itself is simply the dog's personal name, a proper noun that became a common noun in English and other languages for any exceptionally faithful dog. Its meaning comes entirely from that one story rather than from any linguistic process, so there is no separate root to trace.