In 1932 one of Ueno's students Hirokichi Saito (who had learned much about the Akita breed) saw the dog at the station. He followed him to the home of the former gardener of Professor Ueno—Kikuzaboro Kobayashi, where he learned the history of Hachikō's life. Shortly after this meeting, the former student published a census of all the Akitas in Japan. His research found only 30 purebred Akitas still alive, including Hachikō from Shibuya Station.