Anime News

Mural Treasure Almost Became Public Bath Fuel
Date: 5/28/2006
A wall painting by famed manga creator Osamu Tezuka and 8 other artists which had been saved immediately before being burnt as public bath fuel is now being exhibited in Kiyose City, Tokyo. With the theme "Town Of The Future" Takashi Yanase, Hiroshi Tada, Chou Shinta, Ryohei Yanagihara, Kazuo Maekawa and Miyotaro Sagawa were among the contributors. The ten meter long, 2.6 meter high mural was first shown in the Saitama Prefecture Green Festival in 1987. Following the festival, the 11 piece painting was taken down and transferred to the public bathhouse "Noyu" of Kiyose City, where it was to be used as fuel to heat the baths. By chance, 69 year old Noboyasshi Jinbo who managed the public bath found the names of the eight artists in a section of the work and wondered if it may have some value. Restoration by the volunteer cooperation started in 1999. The public became aware of the painting's existance about a year ago when it was the subject of a TV special.
Source: Anime News Service