Asia Images / John Lander Photography

Image 1 of 1
Less

tetsukakudo-26.jpg

Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download

Philosopher Statues at Tetsugakaudo Philosophy Park - At first, the Philosophy Park just appears to be a rather large and pleasant expanse of greenery and hills north of Nakano. Local inhabitants use it to job, walk the dog, and have a picnic. Look a little closer, however, and the place is quite unusual for any city park, anywhere on Earth. The guy who developed the park thought he could bring concepts to life or at least show them through physical objects or statues. Pass through the Tetsurimon, or the Gate of Philosophical Reason, and voila - you just might become enlightened in here! Statues of Gandhi and others will remind you of a higher calling. In fact, there are 77 spots that symbolize different philosophical doctrines. Notable features of the park are the Rokkendai or Pagoda of the Six Wise Ones which serves as the icon for the park. Two trails that cross, The Junction of Doubt, which is a kind of “road not taken” syndrome. And of course Rito the tanuki lamp. Tanuki of course assume the form of humans to trick us, but they also have a divine nature. Tetsugakudo Philosophy Park was founded by philosopher Enryo Inoue, who wanted to enshrine philosophical theory into physical form. Inoue founded the Tetsugakukan, or Philosophy Academy which is now Toyo University. For him, philosophy was an essential discipline for the sake of spiritual aspects and scholarship so as to improve life.

Copyright
@John Lander
Image Size
3648x5472 / 20.0MB
https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license
https://asian-images.photoshelter.com/contact
Keywords
Contained in galleries
Philosopher Statues at Tetsugakaudo Philosophy Park - At first, the Philosophy Park just appears to be a rather large and pleasant expanse of greenery and hills north of Nakano. Local inhabitants use it to job, walk the dog, and have a picnic. Look a little closer, however, and the place is quite unusual for any city park, anywhere on Earth. The guy who developed the park thought he could bring concepts to life or at least show them through physical objects or statues. Pass through the Tetsurimon, or the Gate of Philosophical Reason, and voila - you just might become enlightened in here! Statues of Gandhi and others will remind you of a higher calling. In fact, there are 77 spots that symbolize different philosophical doctrines. Notable features of the park are the Rokkendai or Pagoda of the Six Wise Ones which serves as the icon for the park. Two trails that cross, The Junction of Doubt, which is a kind of “road not taken” syndrome. And of course Rito the tanuki lamp. Tanuki of course assume the form of humans to trick us, but they also have a divine nature. Tetsugakudo Philosophy Park was founded by philosopher Enryo Inoue, who wanted to enshrine philosophical theory into physical form. Inoue founded the Tetsugakukan, or Philosophy Academy which is now Toyo University. For him, philosophy was an essential discipline for the sake of spiritual aspects and scholarship so as to improve life.