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11-Meter Statue of Tezuka's Phoenix, 3-Meter Astro Boy to be Unveiled
posted on by Egan Loo
The Kyoto International Manga Museum has announced on Tuesday that it will unveil an 11-meter-wide (about 36-feet-wide) statue of Osamu Tezuka's manga character Phoenix (Hi no Tori) on September 22. The 47News website posted a photograph of the statue. Famed busshi (traditional Buddhist sculptor) Mitsuaki Sutō has been carving the 4.5-meter-tall (15-feet-tall) statue out of red pine since the end of last year. The unfurling wings are decorated with laquered gold foil. Tezuka Production is collaborating on the production of the statue.
In a separate development, a statue of Tezuka's Astro Boy (Mighty Atom) will stand over three meters (10 feet) tall over the "Mighty Atom Exhibition in Lagunasia," which will open in the central Japanese prefecture of Aichi on September 19. The Laguna Gamori marine complex is hosting the event until November 30 to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Tezuka's birth. The exhibition will also include an Atom Shop for character goods and an "Osamu Tezuka's Message" section with a recreation of Tezuka's desk.
A two-meter-tall (seven-feet-tall) stone statue of Astro Boy hugging Earth was unveiled at Tezuka's former elementary school last October. David Bowers and IMAGI's computer-animated version of Astro Boy will open in Japan on October 10. The film will open in North America on October 23.
Source: 47News, Comic Natalie
