The "Timestones 400" is located in the parking lot on the first floor of JR Shin-Osaka Station. It was installed in 1982 as a monument for the "400th Anniversary of Osaka Castle" and "Osaka's 21st Century Plan.
This work was created by artist IMAI Norio (1946-), originally from Osaka, Japan. He studied under avant-garde painter YOSHIHARA Jiro (1905-1972) while still a high school student, and was active as a member of "GUTAI", the Gutai Art Association led by Yoshiwara.
Since the 1980s, he has created numerous public artworks.
"Timestones 400" is a 16.5-meter-high work consisting of 20 tiers of huge stones. The stones used are all the same size and shape, and are based on " unfortunate stones" that were quarried for the Osaka Castle stone wall but were never used.
Originally, the plan was to pile up the 21st level of huge stones at the beginning of the 21st century, but this plan has not been realized to date and is still incomplete. Therefore, a single stone has been placed at the foot of the pagoda.
The reason for the unfinished work is due to the fact that the administrator of the work and the owner of the land is unknown. Who owns the work abandoned in the city? Is an administrator unnecessary? This work raises questions about public art itself.
The work can be viewed from every floor of the station, but it is very impressive up close. If you visit Shin-Osaka Station, take the time to look up at the work up close and experience the scale of the work.
Address | 5-16 Nishinakajima, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka |
Access from the nearest station | In front of JR Shin-Osaka Station |