Cement Art of a Folk Tale: Momotaro Shrine, Inuyama

Momotaro is one of the most famous Japanese folk tales. All Japanese know the story of a very tiny boy, who was born from a peach, and who beat the evil demons and took the treasures back. In this story, he got three servants to fight the demons: a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant. Of course, they were very active during the combat against the demons. There are so many folk tales similar to this Momotaro story all over Japan. The most famous setting of the story is Okayama, because the compensation given to his servants for fighting is kibi-dango, a kind of sweet dumpling made with mochi flour and millet flour, which is Okayama`s specialty. Additionally, Aichi is also a well-known place of the Momotaro legend and, surprisingly, there is a Momotaro shrine in Inuyama City, Aichi. I went to the shrine in the spring of 2002 to see with my own eyes all the statues from the folk tale which were made with cement! I knew an eccentric cement artist, Mr. Shoun Asano, existed in the Tokai area, but I’d never seen these statues, so I wanted to see them. The artist kept an enormous number of his cement statues in Aichi, and this Momotaro shrine is the best known exhibition field of his work.

When I reached the entrance of the shrine, there was a cement statue of the monkey in the middle of the entrance. It was painted with vivid colors and it was holding a kibi-dango in his hands. After the monkey statue, I found the naked Momotaro statue who was inside a cut peach with both arms raised. I’d never seen statues like these in a shrine before.

Additionally, surrendered demons were scattered here and there! I could go through the large peach-shaped gate to the main building of the shrine. Finally, I came across the statues of Momotaro and his servants proudly pulling a cart full of treasures. You can enjoy this folk tale field for free, but I recommend that you give an offering to the shrine. Further, there is an exhibition house near it the shrine, and you can learn more about the Momotaro folk tale and the story of the demons in the house. I think this is the only place where we can appreciate Mr. Asano’s statues and a Japanese folk tale.