KUMAMOTO ¨C Ahead of the 10th anniversary of the April 2016 major earthquakes in Kumamoto Prefecture, a special exhibition showcasing post-disaster reconstruction efforts there has opened in collaboration with the popular manga series ¡°One Piece.¡±
The event at the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art in Kumamoto, the prefecture¡¯s capital, runs from Friday through May 24. Admission is free but requires booking.
In 2016, the prefecture was struck by a 6.5-magnitude foreshock on April 14, followed by a 7.3-magnitude main quake two days later.
The day after the main quake, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of ¡°One Piece¡± and a native of Kumamoto, sent a message of support to the prefecture. This led to the launch of the One Piece Kumamoto Revival Project.
The exhibition¡¯s concept, ¡°SHI-RU-SHI,¡± which means ¡°sign¡± in Japanese, represents the ¡°sign of friendship¡± on the arms of the ¡°One Piece¡± protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, and his crew members, as well as a ¡°sign of reconstruction.¡±
In the exhibition, the prototypes of the bronze statues of the Straw Hat Pirates crew members from ¡°One Piece,¡± installed in disaster-stricken municipalities across the prefecture, are on display together for the first time.
It also features screenings of videos that combine well-known scenes from the manga series with the reconstruction process.
Ahead of the public opening, Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura said in a speech, ¡°I¡¯m glad that I can come and see this exhibition with a smile, as reconstruction moves forward.¡±
Among visitors was Mitsutoshi Kimoto, a 35-year-old civil servant who came with his three sons. ¡°Thanks to ¡¯One Piece,¡¯ people have learned about the earthquakes,¡± Kimoto said. ¡°We¡¯re so grateful to Oda.¡±
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