Hunter Essay

7. Bronze statue of E.H. Hunter (part 1)

Photo 8: Hunter statue at the Nanko head office

From the entrance of the Nanko head office, make your way to the elevator hall and you will find a bronze statue of E.H. Hunter. The pedestal bears a plaque inscribed Hitachi Zosen. The 60-centimeter-tall statue depicts Hunter in a standing pose, wearing a frock coat, and extending his right hand outward and his left foot slightly forward. The figure is placed on a granite pedestal. The back of the pedestal reveals this was "Produced at Chikkou Works, June 1969." It is a replica of the bronze statue that was erected in front of the Sakurajima head office.

Osaka Iron Works was reorganized as a joint stock company in March 1914. Juntaro Yamaoka from Osaka Shosen Kaisha(OSK Lines) was appointed as president, and Hunter's eldest son, Ryutaro, as director. The bronze statue of Hunter was erected to coincide with the relocation of the head office to Sakurajima on October 1, 1916. "Our company owes its presence today to Hunter's foresight and founding abilities"—as this excerpt from the E.H. Hunter Bronze Statue Construction Magazine(1) says, the statue was built in homage to Hunter by Osaka Iron Works Ltd., which had inherited management from the founder.

Photo 9: Unveiling ceremony

According to the Hundred Year History, the statue was "a standing figure dressed in a frock coat, measuring 3.6 meters tall. This was placed on a three-tier pedestal measuring 3.9 meters in height. The cornerstone measured 0.6 meters in height and 3 square meters in area, and was made of 12 pieces of rock, namely select high-grade granite produced in Oshima Island, Ehime Prefecture."(2) This would suggest that the sculpture stood over 8 meters tall from the cornerstone to the top of Hunter's head. Design and supervision was commissioned to Sotokichi Aoki, a graduate of the Tokyo Fine Arts School.

The unveiling ceremony took place at two in the afternoon on November 25. The guests included Hunter's family and relatives starting with his wife, Aiko, and his son Ryutaro and his wife; and Hunter's closest friends such as Seijuro Akizuki and his wife. Attendees on the host's side comprised Osaka Iron Works Ltd. Chairman Yamaoka and all officers and employees. Unfortunately, Hunter himself was not present, as he was feeling unwell. This was six months before he passed away.

In his address, Chairman Yamaoka said that the purpose of the statue was to express reverence for Hunter as well as to present to future workers at the company an image for "admiring Hunter's noble character and emulating it in carrying out their work." Hunter's grandson Ryuhei then pulled the cord and unveiled the statue. Akizuki made a congratulatory speech, saying that Hunter has made indefatigable efforts to overcome a multitude of difficulties, and offering the encouragement that "the company should continue developing into the future and eventually outperform the shipyards of industrialized countries in the West." The bronze statue was meant to serve as a lasting reminder of Hunter's pioneering spirit.

Bibliography

  1. 1『ハンター翁銅像建設小誌』大正6年3月1日、株式会社大阪鉄工所
    以下。除幕式に関する記述は本書による。
  2. 2『日立造船百年史』昭和60年、日立造船株式会社、75p

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