98: Hachi: The Most Loyal Dog

About this episode

This episode tells the story of Hachi, the dog known for his unwavering loyalty to his deceased owner.

Hachi was just a puppy when he was adopted by a professor at Tokyo Imperial University. The two bonded instantly. Every day, Hachi greeted Professor Hidesaburo Ueno at the Shibuya Train Station as he came home from work. The pair would walk home together. But when the professor suddenly died, Hachi’s loyalty didn’t. For years, Hachi still went to the train station, waiting for the professor to return. Remember, kids, history hoes always cite their sources! For this episode, Norm pulled from: Fritz, Robb. “History’s a Bitch: A Dog Walk Through Time: Wait for Me.” McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, February 7, 2012. https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/wait-for-me . Itoh, Mayumi. Hachi: The Truth of The Life and Legend of the Most Famous Dog in Japan . Self Published, 2013. MC. “Hachiko’s Droopy Ear.” The House of Two Bows, March 3, 2011. https://shibasenji.wordpress.com/tag/saito-hirokichi/ . Perkins School for the Blind. “Helen Keller: A Life with Dogs.” June 24, 2016. https://www.perkins.org/helen-keller-a-life-with-dogs/ . Skabelund, Aaron. “Fascism’s Furry Friends: Dogs, National Identity, and Purity of Blood in 1930s Japan.” In The Culture of Japanese Fascism , edited by Alan…

People in this episode

Host: Norm

Topics covered

• loyalty
• dogs
• history
• true crime
• Japan
• Hachi

Keywords

• Hachi
• loyal dog
• Tokyo
• Shibuya
• history
• true crime
• pets
• dogs

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Tokyo Imperial University, Perkins School for the Blind, Duke University Press, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency

Books & works: Hachi: The Truth of The Life and Legend of the Most Famous Dog in Japan, History’s a Bitch: A Dog Walk Through Time: Wait for Me, Helen Keller: A Life with Dogs, Fascism’s Furry Friends: Dogs, National Identity, and Purity of Blood in 1930s Japan

Places: Shibuya Train Station

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