Keisei Ueno Station "Fugetsu-ennen"

Ceramic Relief,Roof Tile

Dean of Fine Art Faculty, Tokyo University of the Arts, Architect, Doctor (Engineering)
Kiyoshi Seike
At the beginning of the Gospel of John (New Testament) in Chinese literature, there is "First of all, there is a way. The way is there with God. ... ...". The way like a railway or a highway is a way built in the modern era, but the way our Asian think is with God. It can be said that there was a way ahead of everything. Aside from difficult theology, I believe that the way was with God, that is, truth and good and beauty, from the beginning.
By the way, many people will find that beauty is lost from the ugly highways like a big snake turn around us or the train stations where people crowd, when looking around. The way has lost its beauty.
Once, I went to Ueno for 5 years as an art school student. It is the art university in which I am Dean of Faculty of Fine Art now. In Ueno at that time there was no highway, but were highly cultural buildings, including the newly built Ueno station and Keisei Hakubutsukan-Dōbutsuen station around Ueno Park. Even at National Railways Ueno station, you can see the beautiful design made from the enthusiasm for restration after the earthquake, such as the old ceiling at the concourse which still remains. Beauty was there with the railway. However, the cultural atmosphere around Ueno station became scarce. It may be because the downtown from Ueno to Asakusa was almost destroyed due to the war damage.
Recently, cultural movements around Ueno has begun again, such as Ueno station was assigned as the first station of Tohoku and Joetsu Shinkansen, Keisei Electric Train has started an express train to Narita Airport, that can be said as the first statin for National Railway Shinkansen, and so on.
In this autumn, decorating Keisei Ueno Station with a powerful relief by Luis Nishizawa known as an international mural artist literally will enhance the culture of Ueno Park and have a meaning that the railway becomes a forerunner of beauty as it once was.
Mr. Nishizawa expresses a scene that a boy and a carp are getting into a dragon with the theme of the traditional carp streamer since Edo. It is a design of powerful transformation as if symbolizing the way around Ueno station in the future.
I pray that Japan Traffic Culture Association's activities that the railway is there with beauty will be further developed with the work by such an excellent artist.

Deputy Ambassador, Mexico Embassy in Japan
Ricardo Velazquez Huerta
We are pleased to announce the completion of a new mural art produced by a famous painter Luis Nishizawa in Japan this time. Mr. Luis Nishizawa has produced numerous mural arts with his unique style and infinite energy, and is a highly valued artist in Mexico.
We celebrate the completion of this mural art "Fugetsu-ennen" and I sincerely hope that this work will contribute to further strengthening the ties of friendship between Mexico and Japan which already exists.

President, Keisei Electric Railway Co., Ltd.
Mitsuo Sato
The ceramic relief "Fugetsu-ennen" decorating Keisei Ueno station concourse has been completed this time. As you know, Keisei Ueno station is increasingly international and promising as a station connected directly with Narita Airport, the front entrance of Japan sky, and it is the supreme pleasure for us also that a mural art which entertain the passengers from home and abroad has been installed in this public space. In addition to that, Mr. Luis Nishizawa in Mexico, known as an international mural artist, accepted to produce this mural art. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Mr. Louis Fransen, Mr. Kojin Toneyama and Japan Traffic Culture Association for their enthusiastic friendship with him. Since the ceramic relief "Kyokusui-no-en" by Mr. Kohei Morita was already installed at Narita airport station, Ueno and Narita were bound by the murals this time. The design of this mural art expresses a child's vital power and a carp streamer symbolizing Japanese popular culture and it is a work full of dynamism. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who made effort to realize this wonderful art.