Meet this big mama pig and piglets in Tokyo Midtown Hibiya in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. An artist and volunteers, nearly 100 in total, came together to make this gigantic straw sculpture using rice straw supplied by a farmer in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture. It took 1.5 months for them to complete it.
 Straw art pig and piglets are now displayed on the first floor of Tokyo Midtown Hibiya (in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo) It is part of “Shoku-to-Ikiru (Living with Food),” an event to provoke interest in food-related social issues, such as food waste and vanishing regional food culture. The sculpture, measuring six meters in length, two meters in width, and three meters in height, was created by a 48-year-old artist, Yuma Matsumoto, under the theme of “Mother’s Milk.” It has a wooden and bamboo frame inside and toba-ami woven straw outside. “I strongly believe that Japanese people become happy when they see rice straw as if it’s encoded by a gene. I hope this sculpture will highlight the beauty of rice straw,” Matsumoto said. The big pig and piglets will be displayed on the first floor of Tokyo Midtown Hibiya during the event until January 19. Then, it will be shown in an outdoor space until February 24. The event organizer is looking for an entity to take the exhibit after this date. (Reporter: Hiroyuki Koda) |