Anchor Monument (objet d'art)

Hidden in a Corner of Minatomirai

[ Index ]

[Fouled Anchor] [Big Anchor I] [Big Anchor II] [Sunburst] [Red Horn] [Hands] [Big Anchor III] [Paean for People] [Fluctuation of Love] [Inner Circle]

Minatomirai, Yokohama is an district developed on reclaimed land, an area once under the waters of the Yokohama Bay. One of the development requirements is each city block must feature an art piece.

The Anchor Monument is an art piece in Takashima Park, where there was once a pier. The anchor was dredged up during construction and used as a symbol to symbolize the reclamation project, a memorial of the pier and oceangoing vessels it served.

The inscription reads: “This anchor was discovered during the construction of the ‘Minatomirai 21 Center Central District Land Rezoning Project’. It is reused and displayed as a monument that retains the remains of the Takashima Pier”

The chain twisted around the anchor makes it a “fouled anchor,” difficult or impossible to raise, probably why it was abandoned long ago. The commissioners of the monument may not have had a full grasp of the old nautical meaning.

Then again, maybe it was intentional and just not mentioned in the plaque.

The Tokyu Square department store took it as their symbol for the local branch.

[ Index ]

[Fouled Anchor] [Big Anchor I] [Big Anchor II] [Sunburst] [Red Horn] [Hands] [Big Anchor III] [Paean for People] [Fluctuation of Love]