You can enjoy walking along side of Sculpture promenade located in Takasaka, Higashi-Matsuyama city.

32 sculptures are located for 1,000m by the west exit of Takasaka station. 

These sculptures were produced by Takata Hiroatsu.

The promenade has been installed as a symbol of the citizen-based town planning by opportunity of his sculpture exhibition and lecture meeting held at Higashi-Matsuyama city hall in 1985.

It is useful to appreciate 32 sculptures attaching his short poem messages on each of sculptures.

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When Takata was 18 years old, he met Takamura Koun, Kishida Ryusei and other artists. 

He enrolled in TUFS(Tokyo University of Foreign Studies), but he dropped out and tended to concentrate in producing sculpture. On the other hand, Takata completed a translation of the life of Michelangelo, and  it was published by Iwanami Shoten (books). 

In 1931, leaving his family, Takata moved to Paris where he eagerly wanted to study the sculptures of  Auguste Rodin and other sculptures. He willingly exchanged correspondence with Roman Rolland and made a sketch of Mahatma Gandhi at Rollan’s house. 

After the World War Ⅱ, Takada hesitated to return home and stayed in Paris for 27 years.

Takata has a wide circle acquaintances in Paris such as Paul Signac, Jean Cocteau, other artists and intellectuals.

Takata published newsletter for Japanese expatriates in Paris and started the Paris Japanese Artists Association. After the German invasion of France in 1940, he was hired by the Mainichi Newspaper as a special correspondent.

In 1944, Japanese ambassador ordered Japanese resident living in Paris to evacuate to Berlin to escape the advancing allied armies. But, he was captured by Soviet Union. He was detained in a war prisoner camp for 18 months until he was repatriated back to Japan in late 1946.

From 1948 to 1957, Takata served as the official Japanese representative to the Cannne Film Festival. 

From 1949, he was also a correspondent for the Yomiuri News Paper. 

In 1957, Takata returned to live in Tokyo and served as chairman of the Japan Pen Club and on the board of the Japan Artists Association, and also taught at  Tokyo University of Arts. He retired in 1966, and then moved to Kamakura, but returned back again to Paris from 1967 to 1970. 

In 1987, Takata died.

(E&OE)