Okamoto's A-bomb mural

I don't get it.

That is an awfully big painting to lose.

I like the painting and admire the artist's use of vivid pure primary colors. But this is similar to Picasso's Guernica--a huge mural depicting the horrors of war--and I wonder if people really want (or need) to see this every day on their morning commute (and the frequency of jumpers in Tokyo these days makes it even more ironic). Why in Shibuya and not in Hiroshima?

Not my cup of tea, however, hanging it in such a public place is asking for trouble. Also note that it is only being guarded during "commuter hours," seems to me that sooner or later some pxssed salaryman who has missed the last train home won't be able to resist the temptation of adding is own little bit of "artistic license," whether that be straight-out graffiti or the remains of his dinner.

In the words of Keanu Reeves -- Whoa!

see...Inokashira Line entrance is not just for discovery of Miss World...but also for historical piece like this...:) yay!

That is ghastly. That is why most of the people in the photo are ignoring it.

This is a painting by Taro Okamoto depiciting an abstract version of the A bomb explosion. The Late Artisit has a phenomonal museum on a park in Kawasaki.

Sarge: they were ignoring it because, perhaps the photo was taken around the time people were busy commuting to their destinations. I was there last night and there were loads of people taking photos and videos of the mural....:)

That is ghastly.

Good you get it becuase the atom bombing of civilians is... ghastly.

hey..i thought we are talking about preserving Taro Okamoto's invaluable art piece..wars are everywhere. We preserved them in history books. We can't change history..so let's make the best of world's future...:)

Frankly I like it, you know just looking at it I would never have guessed it was about the Atomic Bombing, hey is it just me or does the skeleton in the center also kinda look like a dragon head? With the pelvis being the snout and the gaps between the chest bones looking like eyes. . .

Yang - What about the fire-bombing of civilians? Isn't that ghastly too? Keep in mind, all these civilians ( well, all the ones over the age of 18, anyway ) were supporting the militaristic government. There is no queston that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, which this mural allegedly depicts, hastened the end of the war, saving countless lives on both sides. I hope nuclear weapons will never be used except to break up incoming asteroids.

Sarge said:

What about the fire-bombing of civilians? Isn't that ghastly too? Keep in mind, all these civilians ( well, all the ones over the age of 18, anyway ) were supporting the militaristic government.

Yes Sarge the fire bombings of civilians in Yokohama, Kawasaki, Nagoya, Yokohama, Osaka and Tokyo were also ghastly; those are just the major cities where the U.S. torched Japanese civilians. From May to August , U.S. planes firebombed fifty-eight Japanese cities.

You posted a blanket statement that stated "all these civilians""were supporting." Did anyone poll them prior to their demise? How could you possible know such a thing? I think I will not "Keep in mind" your conjecture.

I like the mural. I think Japan has a right to be on the forefront of objecting to the use of nuclear weapons. I don't know where I stand on the U.S. dropping atom bombs on Japan. I used to stand behind the decision because I thought it saved lives and yadda, yadda, yadda. Now I have much more information including some that supports that many lives were saved by averting a ground war. Fortunately I don't have to "decide" whether it was right or wrong. I want to say as an American that I am sorry my country inflicted the civilian death toll on Japan that it did.

Art is best when it stirs emotions in people.

Taro Okamoto's prediction of the Fukushima disaster: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/the-atomic-artists/chimpom-art/