Monument Built in Kyoto in Memory of KyoAni Arson Victims

Jiji Press

17:06 JST, July 14, 2024

Uji, Kyoto Pref. (Jiji Press)—A ceremony took place in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, on Sunday to mark the establishment of a monument to the victims of the 2019 Kyoto Animation Co. arson attack ahead of its fifth anniversary Thursday.

The 3-meter-tall aluminum monument, built in the Historical Park of Tea and Uji Town, features a design symbolizing the individuality of the 36 victims soaring into the sky, adorned with inscriptions such as “Dreams and passion from person to person.”

Tokyo University of the Arts was responsible for the production of the first memorial monument to the victims, which was funded with part of the donations made over the incident that came from around Japan and abroad.

The ceremony was attended by about 100 people, including bereaved relatives, Hideaki Hatta, president of Kyoto Animation, or KyoAni, and Kyoto Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki.

A message from a representative of the company’s employees was read out during the event. It expressed hope that the monument will serve as a symbol for many people.

Following this, Hatta handed Uji Mayor Atsuko Matsumura a document marking the donation of the monument to Uji.

In a speech by a representative of bereaved relatives, a man who lost his daughter said: “I hope that KyoAni’s works will endure in the hearts of many and that the spirit of the staff who died will live on. We will keep moving forward.”

“Until now, there wasn’t an official place to express our feelings,” said Koji Fukui, a 38-year-old Aichi Prefecture resident and KyoAni fan. “So I hope various people will come here and that KyoAni and Uji will continue to develop toward the future.”

Plans are also underway to set up a memorial monument at the former site of the company’s No. 1 studio in the city of Kyoto, where the incident occurred July 18, 2019, killing 36 people and injuring many others.