Hidesamurō Ueno

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In this Japanese name, the family name is Ueno.

The statue of Hidesamurō Ueno exists in Tokyo University

Hachikō

Hidesamurō Ueno (上野英三郎, Ueno Hidesamurō^?, 1871-1925), sometimes written as Ueno Hidesaburō or Hidesaburoh^[1] was an agricultural scientist, famous in Japan as the owner of the dog Hachikō.

He was born in Hisai-shi (present-day Tsu), Mie Prefecture. In 1895, he graduated from Teikoku Daigaku Nōka Daigaku Nogakka (Imperial University agriculture university agriculture department), and in the same year entered graduate school for the agricultural engineering and farm implement research. He finished his graduate work on July 10, 1900, and began teaching at the Tokyo Imperial University as an assistant professor. In 1902, he became an associate professor in the agricultural university.

He made efforts toward the education of arable land readjustment technical experts at the same time studying drainage and reclamation engineering. The technology of the arable land readjustment was utilized for the imperial capital revival business after the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923. In 1916, he became Professor of Imperial University agriculture university agriculture department, and took charge of the agricultural engineering lecture. He provided agricultural engineering learning specialization in the agriculture department.

[edit] Hachikō

Main article: Hachikō

Hachikō (Born November 10 1923, died March 8, 1935), sometimes known in Japanese as 忠犬ハチ公 (chūken hachikō, lit. faithful dog Hachikō), was an Akita dog born in November 1923 in the city of Odate, Akita Prefecture. In 1924 he was brought to Tokyo by Ueno. During his owner's life, Hachikō saw him off from the front door and greeted him at the end of the day at the nearby Shibuya Station. After Ueno's death in May 1925, Hachikō returned every day to the station to wait for him, and did so for the next 11 years. In the first years of his vigil, Hachikō was treated as little more than a tolerable nuisance at the train station. In 1928, a new station master came to Shibuya Station who grew fond of the dog and allowed him free run of the facility. Hachikō still kept his schedule, but also was allowed to remain in the station throughout the day, sleeping in a storeroom set aside for him by the new station master.

One of Ueno's former students (who had become something of an expert on Akitas) saw the dog at the station and followed him to the Kobayashi home where he learned the history of Hachikō's life. Ueno's former student returned frequently to visit the dog and over the years published several articles about Hachikō's remarkable loyalty. In 1932 one of these articles, published in Tokyo's largest newspaper, threw the dog into the national spotlight. Hachikō became a sensation throughout the land. His faithfulness to his master's memory impressed the people of Japan as a spirit of family loyalty all should strive to achieve. Teachers and parents used Hachikō's vigil as an example for children to follow. A well-known Japanese artist rendered a sculpture of the dog, and throughout the country a new awareness of the Akita breed grew.

In April 1934, a bronze statue in his likeness was erected at Shibuya Station, and Hachikō himself was present at its unveiling. The statue was recycled for the war effort during World War II. After the war, Hachikō was not forgotten. In 1948 The Society for Recreating the Hachikō Statue commissioned Ando Takeshi, son of the original artist who had since died, to make a second statue. The new statue was erected in August 1948, which still stands and is an extremely popular meeting spot.(The station entrance near this statue is named "Hachikō-guchi", means "The Hachikō Exit". This is one of the 5 exit of Shibuya station.)

A similar statue stands in Hachikō's hometown, in front of Odate Station. In 2004, a new statue of Hachikō was erected on the original stone pedestal from Shibuya in front of the Akita Dog Museum in Odate.