'Noooooooooooo!'
Early in the morning of October 6, 1997, a scream of horror echoed around Takase-gawa River that is flowing along Kiyamachi Street.
Yosen Saishu (a fictitious name. 75 years old.) heard the scream when he was enjoying daily walking in a fresh morning air. He dashed toward the scream to found an unbelievable scene. A newspaper delivery boy who lived at Maruyama Park in Gion and was familiar to him had dropped into Takase-gawa River, and was changing into copper from his foot to the head.
Yosen was shocked and fainted with terror.
This kind of mystery was not reported in 1200 year's history of Kyoto.
The newsboy is still copper now, and the cause of this mysterious accident is not solved yet.
It is consoling to think that there is no another victim and the water of the river doesn't have such a dangerous power now.
Will we have a same kind of accident someday again?
Key Word
A Bronze Statue of Working Boy
It stands in Maruyama Park in Gion.
It was made at the time when Japan did not prosper as today, and the boy looks quite different from today's Japanese youth.
Yes, he has the Eye of the Tiger, I think.