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Giant Gigantor makes mark in Kobe
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An 18-meter-high monument of Tetsujin 28-go, or Gigantor, was unveiled at Wakamatsu Park in Kobe's Nagata Ward on Tuesday, Sept. 29. The completion ceremony is scheduled for Oct. 4.
Testujin 28-go is a famous cartoon character by late manga creator Mitsuteru Yokoyama, who hailed from the city. The area was devastated by the Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995. Today, its population has declined to about 80 percent of prequake levels.
The project was planned and led by a nonprofit organization made up of local shop owners, who decided to build the monument as a symbol of the area's reconstruction. About 135 million yen in construction expenses was raised through donations and subsidies.
It took about three months for an Osaka-based metal processing company to complete putting up the robot in the park.
Shops in the local commercial street are planning to hold a commemorative sale and sell special lunch boxes.
"We hope that the statue will help boost the local economy and vitalize our community," said a representative of the shopping street association.
October 1, 2009
