Bronze statue unveiled in Tokyo in memory of beloved elephant Hanako
A bronze statue of Hanako, Thailand’s gift of friendship to Japan, has been erected in Tokyo as the Japan’s gesture of affection towards its oldest elephant.
The beloved female elephant died in May last year at Inokashira Park Zoo in Tokyo at the age of 69.
People of Tokyo’s Musashino City, which houses Hanako’s last home at Inokashira Park Zoo, honoured the elephant by erecting the bronze statue at the Kichijoji railway station on Friday.
The opening ceremony was attended by local residents and media, as well as representatives from Thailand, including Minister Counsellor Nattapong Lathapipat from the Thai Embassy.
Also present were three sons of late former political party leader Somwang Sarasas, who gave the elephant to Japan after World War II as a symbol of friendship between the two countries. The sons are Sriphob, Chinavais and Ukrit Sarasas.
The statue, a sculpture by Japanese artist Aki Fueda, features Hanako raising her trunk and right fore leg – her trademark pose well remembered by the Japanese. Its construction was funded with 18 million yen (Bt5.5 million) in donations from Japanese citizens all over the country.
A road near the railway station will also be renamed “Hanako” in honour of the elephant.
Hanako was sent to Japan in 1949, when she was only two years old. After living in Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo for a few years, she was moved to the Inokashira zoo in 1954.
The elephant was kept alone in captivity at the zoo, without the company of other elephants for most of her 67-year stay in Japan. In 2015, there was an online campaign for Hanako to be moved to a sanctuary in Thailand where she could interact with other elephants.
