Back to Ueno

Stopped by at Ueno on the way back from Asakusa. The first time I came here was for the Ueno zoo and the museum. This time was just to have a quick look around the park, which is a rather big one that houses numerous art galleries and museums.

This is the Western Art Gallery (国立西洋美術館).

Burghers of Calais (1884-88), Auguste Rodin

Heracles the Archer (1909), Emile-Antoine

The Thinker (1880: enlarged in 1902-04), Auguste Rodin

Adam, The Gates of Hell, Eve

Adam (1880), Auguste Rodin

Eve (c.1881), Auguste Rodin

The Gates of Hell (1880-1917), Auguste Rodin

Random shots in Ueno Park:

Bronze Statue of Prince Komatsu No Miya Akihito

Akihito was the eighth prince of Fushimi no miya Kunie. He joined the Toba/Fushimi war in January, 1868 as the commander-in-chief and also took part in the Boshin war.

In 1877 he established an organization called "Hakuai-sha" to help the wounded of the Seinan war and headed the association. When it was renamed "Japan Red Cross Society", he assumed office as its president and contributed to the development of the society. He passed away at the age of 58 on the eighteenth January, 1903.

This bronze statue was erected in February of 1912. The sculptor was Okuma Ujihiro, a Bunten art exhibition judge. The reason why the statue was erected here is presumed to be that of Rinnoji no miya, Akihito's elder brother was the last Monseki of Kanei-ji temple.

Toshogu

Tokugawa Ieyasu died 1616 and was buried in Nikko but this was his main shrine in Tokyo.

The Flame of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The flame has an intersting origin.

On August 6, 1945, US forces dropped the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and another on Nagasaki on August 9 the same year, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in an instant. Even now, many survivors are still suffering from the damage.

Sometime later, Tatsuo Yamamoto went to Hiroshima in search of his uncle, and found a flame of the atomic bomb burning in the ruins of his uncle's house. He brought it back to Hoshino-mura, his hometown in Fukuoka prefecture. He kept it burning in his house as a memento of his uncle and an expression of his resentment. But years went by, the meaning of the lfame turned into a symbol of his desire for abolition of nuclear weapons amd for peace. Hoshino-mura village built a torch and transferred the flame to it on August 6, 1968. It has been keeping the flame ever since as the flame for peace, with the support of the villagers.

"The use of nuclear weapons will destroy the whole human race and civilization... The elimination of nuclear weapons... has become the most urgent and crucial for the very survival of the whole of humanity.

There must never be another Hiroshima anywhere on earth.
There must never be another Nagasaki anywher on earth."
(From the "Appeal from Hiroshima and Nagasaki" issued in February 1985)

In 1988, a flame was taken from the torch and was merged with another flame lit by the friction of broken roofing tiles of Nagasaki. Along with 30 million signatures collected in support of the "Appeal from Hiroshima and Nagasaki", it was carreid to the third Special Session of the UN General Assembly for Disarmament taking place in New York City.

In April the same year, members of "Shitamachi People Association" put forward an idea of lighting the flame at the precinct of Ueno Toshogu Shrine in Tokyo. Rev. Shozen Saga, the chief priest, warmly welcomed the proposal, and promised to set up a monument and work together to keep the flame burning.

In April 1989, an "Association for the Flame of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Lit at the Ueno Toshogu" was founded with the people of wide ranging people. (sic) Tens of thousands of people took part in the fund-raising for over one year and the construction of the monument was ocmpleted on July 21, 1990/

In commemoration of the 45th year of the A-bomb tragedies, a flame of Hiroshima was taken from Hoshino-mura and lit at the monument on August 6, and a flame of Nagasaki, generated by the friction of Nagasaki roofing tiles, was also added to the monument.

We hereby pledge to keep burning the A-bomb flame, convinced that this monument should contribute to strengthening the worldwide people's movement to abolish nuclear weapons and achieve peace, which is the most urgent task for the people across the borders.

August 1990
Association for the Flame of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Lit at the Ueno Toshogu

A huge stone lantern (Monster Lantern)

This huge garden lantern made of stone was offered as a gift from Sakuma Daizennosuke Katsuyuki to the Toshogu shrine in 1631. It is said to be one of the three grerat stone lanterns in Japan, together with those in Nanzen-ji temple of Kyoto and in Atsuta Jingu shrine.

The dimensions of the lanter are impressive, its height being 6 meters and the perimeter of the capping stone 3.6 meters. Because of its great size, people commonly call it "Monster Lantern".

Torii gates at the entrance of one of the shrines in Ueno park.

A band performing in Ueno park.

- 15 July 2006, Saturday -