Monument for KyoAni Arson Attack Victims Unveiled in Kyoto

The City of Uji unveiled a special monument dedicated to Kyoto Animation (KyoAni) staff who perished in the arson attack on the studio in 2019. The installation was unveiled in the Historical Park of Green Tea and Uji Town on July 13, during a ceremony attended by bereaved families and related parties, and was then opened to the public. The three-meter monument includes 36 birds, which represent the victims, and symbolize “endless dreams that spread through animation” and “an uninterrupted flight to the future.” The statue is adorned with inscriptions such as “Dreams and passion from person to person.”

It was created by Tokyo University of the Arts students and funded with part of the donations collected after the incident from Japan and abroad. Following the unveiling, a message by the company’s employees was read out and the president of Kyoto Animation, Hideaki Hatta, handed Uji Mayor Atsuko Matsumura a document marking the donation of the monument to Uji.

The monument, created by families of the victims, Kyoto Animation, and their supporters, is meant as a symbol of peace that connects everyone affected by the incident: those who were lost and those who sent prayers and support from around the world. The monument is not a traditional memorial and the township of Uji asked visitors not to leave offerings and instead use it as a way to honor the memory.

The monument was erected ahead of the 5th anniversary of the arson attack on Kyoto Animation’s Studio 1 building in the Fushimi Ward of Kyoto on July 18, 2019. In addition to 36 KyoAni individuals who lost their lives, 34 people (including the arsonist, who was sentenced to death last year) were injured.

Hatta revealed in 2019 that the studio would like to construct a memorial on the site of the former building. However, that plan was not well-received by the city officials who feared the memorial would attract too many visitors to an otherwise quiet, residential neighborhood. The Historical Park of Green Tea and Uji Town is the first of the two planned memorials. Earlier this year, Sound Euphonium! Season 3 viewers pointed out that the anime staff seemingly included their deceased colleagues as the audience members in the final episode of the season.

Source: Comic Natalie, Yomiuri Shimbun
Featured image: Violet Evergarden, © Akatsuki Kana, Kyoto Animation / Violet Evergarden Production Committee