| IIn Ueno Park near Ueno Station, there is a large
bronze statue of Saigo Takamori (1827-1877). Saigo was a samurai who played an
important role at many stages in the tumultuous politics around the time of the
Meiji Restoration of 1868. This easygoing and friendly person who was not obsessed
with power is loved by the people of Japan and has often been the subject of novels,
movies, and dramas. The statue was erected in 1891, and it seems as though the
bronze image of Saigo is looking out on the Tokyo of today. |
