Due to the redevelopment work at Shibuya Station, the Moai Statue will be relocated to a new location over two nights on the nights of November 28th and 29th, 2024. This article takes a look behind the scenes at the relocation of the Moai Statue, which has long been a symbol of Shibuya Station alongside the Hachiko Statue. It covers everything from the preparations to the details of the nighttime work, and how it will look after it has been relocated.

As the demolition of the West and South Buildings of the Tokyu Toyoko Department Store progresses, the west exit area where the Moai statue used to be is now covered with a temporary fence. Looking around the construction site, the statue is no longer visible, and many people were worried, asking, "Where did the Moai statue go?" In fact, the statue could be confirmed inside the construction fence, but it no longer appears surrounded by a circular flower bed, and the flower bed has been removed, leaving the statue's neck exposed, giving it a somewhat lonely impression.

Looking at it again, we can see that the Moai Statue is a handsome statue with a long neck and a bold face. The face on the front, "anki (=young person)", is designed to represent a young surfer from Niijima.

On the other hand, the face on the back, "Inji (= Grandfather)," is based on a knowledgeable exile who was exiled to Niijima during the Edo period, making the Moyai Statue a unique stone statue with different faces on the front and back.

Where is the new location?

For 44 years since its installation, the Moai Statue has played its role as a symbol of the west exit of Shibuya Station. However, due to redevelopment, the space behind Shibuya Fukuras was chosen as a temporary relocation site. This location is located along Route 246, adjacent to Nagasaki Chinese Restaurant. After the redevelopment is completed, the Moai Statue is scheduled to return as a symbol of the west exit plaza, but until then, it will live in this temporary location.

On the map, the distance from the current location to the temporary relocation site appears to be short, but because there is a lot of traffic and people during the day, the relocation work was carried out in a limited time frame late at night between the last bus and the first bus, taking safety into consideration. Below, we will introduce the details of the relocation work in chronological order.

First day of relocation work (November 28th)

4pm: Prayer ceremony for safety
To pray for the safety of the relocation work, a priest from Konno Hachiman Shrine held a prayer ceremony in front of the Moai statue.

As construction workers looked on, ceremonies such as "Shubatsu" (purification ritual), "Kōjin-no-gi" (ritual of descent of the gods) and "Norito-sōjō" (reciting prayers) were carried out, and purification was performed on both sides of the Moai statue.

The plants and stone monument that were planted in the circular flower bed will be kept safe. The plants and stone monument are also scheduled to be relocated together with the Moyai statue.

After midnight: Preparation work 
The Moai statue is about three meters tall. It is made of Koga stone, a type of porous pumice that is a specialty of Niijima, but to prevent damage when it is moved, the work plan was made with a safety in mind, with a weight of about four tons, the same as concrete. In reality, it is estimated to be two to three tons due to its low specific gravity. It is a stone that has excellent fire resistance, acid resistance, and heat retention, and is used for roofs and walls on Niijima, but it is soft and easy to work with, so there are concerns that it may be damaged when moved.

Therefore, for this relocation, a company that specializes in transporting shrines, temples, and other structures was contracted to carry out the work, and careful protection was ensured.

Around 12:45am: Lifting work using a crane 
After the curing, the 90-ton crane used in the redevelopment work was used to lift the Moai Statue. Because a "pedestrian deck (bridge)" was installed overhead as a detour for the redevelopment work, the crane was operated carefully, with sideways movements being mixed in, while being careful not to come into contact with the deck.

The sight of the Moai statue being gradually pulled up to the top is quite surreal.

Around 25:00: Loaded and secured onto the truck bed 
The statue was slowly lowered onto the truck bed. After loading, the statue was secured with ropes on all sides to prevent it from tipping over during transport, and finally covered with a green sheet.

Around 1:40am: Vehicles removed 
The Moai statue was loaded onto a truck and taken to a transportation company in Harumi for storage. The first day's work was completed.

No one would ever imagine that the Moai statue was on that truck.

Second day of relocation work (November 29th)

The new location is behind Shibuya Fukuras, adjacent to Nagasaki Restaurant along National Route 246.

The site was a slight slope, but the ground was leveled and a new square space measuring 3.5 meters long and 3.2 meters wide was created. On the second day of work, a crane was used to install the Moai statue in the center of the space, which had been filled with about 5 centimeters of mortar.

● Work progress

After 11pm: Restrictions set up 
A barrier was set up on the sidewalk and relocation work began.

After midnight: Laying the iron plate 
Steel plates were laid to protect the sidewalk in preparation for the introduction of a 20-ton crane to hoist the Moai statue.

24:49: Arrive at Moyai 
A truck carrying the Moai statue arrived from Harumi.

25:00: The crane arrives and the lifting begins 
The crane chains were attached to the Moai statue loaded onto the truck, and the lifting work began. The statue was carefully lifted up, avoiding power lines, utility poles, and trees, and then slowly lowered into the center of the square space.

During this process, careful adjustments were made to ensure that the front of the Moai statue faced southwest (towards the Cerulean Tower), in the direction of his hometown, Niijima.

1:40am: Installation completed
The protective covering was removed and the installation work was completed without any particular trouble.

In the future, soil will be poured in around the Moai statue to solidify the roots, and plants will be planted mainly by the Shibuya Flower Project "Shibuhana." In addition, a fence will be installed around the Moai statue, and it is planned to be used as a new meeting spot and place to relax. The construction is scheduled to be completed on December 20th.

The gaze of the Moai statue as it thinks of its hometown

The new location of the Moai Statue is behind Shibuya Fukuras, adjacent to Nagasaki Chinese Restaurant along Route 246. The front of the Moai Statue, the so-called "anki" (young people), faces southwest across Route 246, toward the Cerulean Tower. On that same line, about 148 kilometers away, lies Niijima, the hometown of the Moai Statue. The gaze of the Moai Statue symbolizes the longing for the faraway hometown.

The Moai statue has been relocated to a quiet location away from the hustle and bustle of the station, and will likely spend its time peacefully in a temporary home until the redevelopment is complete.

Interviews and writing

Editorial Department: Takashi Fujii

Shibuya registrar. In addition to Shibuya of Culture information, seasonal news and topics, it will spell write that feel every day.