Futago Park – Inzai, Japan - Atlas Obscura

Futago Park

Inzai, Japan

This park was once home to now-extinct Naumann's elephants and what might have been a real Banksy. 

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Futago Park in Inzai City is not much of a park per se, merely intended to be a rest stop for cyclists riding along Lake Imba. There’s nothing much to see, except for a pair of elephant statues and a public restroom. Both, however, happen to be noteworthy for different reasons.

The statues, to begin with, are not of ordinary elephants but of Palaeoloxodon naumanni, an extinct species of elephant native to Japan around 330,000 to 24,000 years ago. They lived in the area for sure, as evidenced by the fossils found near the park in 1966. The fossils were of an adult Naumann’s elephant and a child, and the monument reconstructs them into life.

The restroom at Futago Park itself is ordinary, but in 2018-2019 it unexpectedly drew nationwide attention as a mural attributed to Banksy was found on it. It depicted a chimpanzee walking looking down with a rifle in hand, with a baby monkey at his feet. Though drawn in the artist’s distinct style, the same artwork is not known elsewhere, suggesting that it might have been a genuine piece. But then again, perhaps it was just an imitation done well.

No matter its authenticity, the city had no liking for it and eventually the mural was removed altogether, without a trace. There only stands the restroom now, indifferent to the still-ongoing debate on whether it was the real deal or not.

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