16th-century warlord statue beheaded in central Japan
KYODO NEWS
The statue of 16th-century warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi located at the entrance of a shopping arcade in Nagoya, central Japan, has been beheaded, a local association said Tuesday.
A local resident notified the shopping center association on Saturday that the statue was missing its head. The neck has since been covered with duct tape to prevent further damage, according to an official of the group.
The association, which regards the statue as a symbolic figure of the arcade, is considering filing a damage report with police, the official said.
The defacement of the statue, made of reinforced plastic, comes after previous instances of damage to similar sculptures. In 2022, a statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu was knocked down and had a hole made in its back, while one of Oda Nobunaga was found without an arm in 2019.
The Hideyoshi statue, which sits on a pedestal, had been previously damaged before undergoing repairs. The statues were all donated in 2013.
Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu are Japan's most famous warlords known as "three heroes" who fought to unify Japan to end some 100 years of strife. They were all born in or near present-day Nagoya.
KYODO NEWS
The statue of 16th-century warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi located at the entrance of a shopping arcade in Nagoya, central Japan, has been beheaded, a local association said Tuesday.
A local resident notified the shopping center association on Saturday that the statue was missing its head. The neck has since been covered with duct tape to prevent further damage, according to an official of the group.
The association, which regards the statue as a symbolic figure of the arcade, is considering filing a damage report with police, the official said.
The defacement of the statue, made of reinforced plastic, comes after previous instances of damage to similar sculptures. In 2022, a statue of Tokugawa Ieyasu was knocked down and had a hole made in its back, while one of Oda Nobunaga was found without an arm in 2019.
The Hideyoshi statue, which sits on a pedestal, had been previously damaged before undergoing repairs. The statues were all donated in 2013.
Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Ieyasu are Japan's most famous warlords known as "three heroes" who fought to unify Japan to end some 100 years of strife. They were all born in or near present-day Nagoya.
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Summary
16th-century Toyotomi Hideyoshi statue beheaded in Nagoya, central Japan; local association suspects vandalism. Previous incidents include damage to statues of Nobunaga and Ieyasu, also donated in 2013. Statues are symbolic for the shopping arcade and part of Japan's "three heroes" history who