Fifteen years have passed since the huge mural "Myth of Tomorrow" by Taro Okamoto, one of the leading Japan artists, was installed in the connecting passage of Shibuya Station in Tokyo, and the damage has become noticeable, so large-scale restoration work began on the 15th.
"Myth of Tomorrow" is a work drawn by Taro Okamoto with the image of the moment when the atomic bomb exploded, and after being missing for many years, it was found in a material yard in Mexico in 2003.
After restoration work was carried out, since 2008 it has been installed in the connecting passage of Shibuya Station, which can be seen by many people, in order to respond to Taro Okamoto's idea that "art is something that lives in life."
Fifteen years have passed since the mural was installed, and cracks and dirt have become noticeable, so large-scale restoration work began on the 15th, and Emiru Yoshimura, a restorer who performed the restoration work when the mural was discovered, also participated.
The mural is 10.5 meters high and 5 meters wide, and on the 30th, people climbed up to the scaffolding and used a special liquid to remove dirt.
About 10,30 people pass through the mural every day, and in addition to clothing fibers and dust adhering to the mural, one side of the connecting passage is made of glass, so you can see color changes and cracks due to sunlight.
In the future, work will be carried out to remove dirt, add color and fix cracks, and it will take several years to complete all the restoration work.
Part of the cost of the restoration work was collected through crowdfunding by an NPO that conserves and manages the murals, and there are currently donations of about 200 million yen, which is 1600 million yen left to reach the target amount.
Ms. Yoshimura, a restorer, said, "I am humbled to receive messages from people who cooperated with the crowdfunding that they want to carry on the project forever into the future.