The Mosaic Mural of Chunichi Building
I previously wrote about the closure of the Chunichi Building (at the end of March 2019).
The building was subsequently demolished, and construction of the new Chunichi Building began in February 2021.
The new building has five basement floors, 33 floors above ground, and one penthouse floor, and the completion ceremony was held in August 2023.
And some parts of the building, such as the hotel, post office, and cultural school, began operations, and the entire building opened on April 23, 2024.
The current Chunichi Building.
There is a rooftop plaza on the 7th floor, and the 9th to 22nd floors are office space, while the 24th to 32nd floors are a hotel.
Inside the old Chunichi Building was a mosaic ceiling picture titled “Feast of the Night Sky” (created by Yabashi Rokuro). I had heard that part of the work would be relocated during the demolition, so I visited this time to confirm the mosaic picture.
The mural was located next to the entrance of the Chunichi Hall on the 6th floor, in front of the escalator.
I couldn’t capture the entire piece from the front, so I took a photo from the side.
Due to the escalator, it was impossible to maintain a proper distance from the mural when photographing from the front.
There is an explanation on the right side of the work, which I will quote here.
“Yabashi Rokuro, 'Feast of the Night Sky’, 1966,
A mosaic ceiling picture that adorned the first-floor entrance hall of the former Chunichi Building. Created by Yabashi Rokuro (1905–1988), a Western-style painter from Ogaki City, Gifu Prefecture, it has watched over visitors for over half a century. At completion, it measured 10 meters in height and 20 meters in width, featuring Italian Venetian glass, ceramic tiles, and marble to depict the brilliance of the sun, the twinkling of stars, and the flight of angels. We decided to preserve part of it in the new building so that it can continue to be enjoyed as a symbol of the building."
Close-up of the lower right section.
The left side of the mural.
I took a photo of the original mosaic painting in 2019, so I surrounded the remaining section with a yellow frame in that image. The remaining area is about one-sixth of the original. This gives an idea of how large the original mosaic picture was.
I will post a few photos of the mosaic picture taken in 2019 for record purposes.
There is a rooftop plaza on the 7th floor, so I went to check it out. The walls are green, and there is a circular lawn.
The perimeter of the rooftop is stair-shaped, and the handrails are low and made of glass, so the view of the surrounding scenery is excellent.
However, I am afraid of heights, so I didn’t go near the glass.
[Related articles]
"Chunichi Building Farewell Event (1)“ (2019-04-01)
"Chunichi Building Farewell Event (2)“ (2019-04-02)