The first bronze statue in Japan was erected in 1880 inside the Kenroku-en Garden in Kanazawa, to honor the samurai fallen during the Satsuma Rebellion against the Imperial government. The statue represents the legendary Prince Yamato Takeru, holding the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi sword, one of three Imperial Regalia of Japan.

An interesting historical fact is that the two pines flanking the statue, called Tamuke-Matsu (pines offered to the war casualties) were donated by two famous temples from Kyoto, Higashi-Honganji and Nishi-Honganji, who were dissatisfied with the Imperial government because of the anti-Buddhist attitude that followed the Meiji Restoration.

Statue of Prince Yamato Takeru, Kenroku-en Garden, Kanazawa

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Japanese castle walls, Nozurazumi