An equestrian statue of the Imperial Family in military uniform stands in a corner of Ueno Park

Equestrian statue of Prince Akihito Komatsunomiya

For those of us who were born with Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution and the Self-Defense Forces, the existence of military personnel is somewhat of a fantasy. The Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy have long since disappeared, and there is not a single soldier around in our daily lives.

In such a situation, there are still a few bronze statues of soldiers around the Imperial Palace. These were erected before World War II as a symbol of loyalty and patriotism. All the statues are proud and confident, reminding us of how popular soldiers were before the war. Some of the statues were lost due to the Metal Recall Order during the war, and others were removed as war criminals by the Review Committee for Removal of Bronze Statues of the Loyalty Monuments" established by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government after the war.

The equestrian statue near the entrance of the Ueno Zoo is one of them. This is a horse statue of Prince Akihito Komatsunomiya, who held important positions such as General of the Army, Commander of the Konoe Division, and Chief of the General Staff, and later became a general. In the Meiji era, it was thought that the royal family should be willing to serve in the military, and Prince Akihito Komatsunomiya was one of the royal family members who took the initiative to serve in the military.

This equestrian statue was erected in 1912. Although times have changed and the army is no longer in existence, Prince Akihito Komatsunomiya, wearing a full-length cap with a front stand, continues to dignify his surroundings with the dignity of a soldier astride his horse in a corner of the park.

Comment via

日本語