Interest
Bronze Sazae-san Character Statue's Hair Strand Restored
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
The twice-vandalized statue of Namihei, the father from the late Machiko Hasegawa's Sazae-san manga and long-running anime, had his hair replaced on Saturday. The character's single strand of hair was reported missing twice last month — around May 7 and again on May 20. Each 10-centimeter (about 3.9 inches) strand of curly hair was attached to the bronze statue with screws and adhesive. However, thieves were able to pull the hair from Namihei's head even after it was replaced.
A special ceremony was held to mark the replacement of Namihei's hair. Veteran singer Kiyoko Suizenji inserted the new wire hair in front of a cheering crowd. Famous manga artist and cameo actor Mitsuru Yaku (Yakuyaku Sports Rando) was also in attendance. A security camera was also installed to deter further thefts and destruction to the statues.
TV Asahi's ANN News channel posted its coverage of the story:
Namihei is the father of the Sazae-san's title character, and his likeness stands in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward with the other members of the Sazae-san family. The famous family were unveiled in March to help attract more visitors to local shopping areas. Machiko Hasegawa, the original manga's creator who passed away in 1992, used to live in Setagaya Ward.
Hasegawa began serializing Sazae-san in a newspaper in 1946. Sazae-san's anime adaptation is the longest animated television series in the world.
Source: The Japan Times
