JR Hokkaido Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station "Muku Muku - homage to water, light and earth"

Stained Glass

Governer, Hokkaido
Harumi Takahashi
This time, the stained glass public art "Muku Muku - homage to water, light and earth", for which Mr. IGARASHI Takenobu, a sculptor and a designer representing Japan and the former president of Tama Art University, made the original design and supervised the production work, has been installed at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, a new station on Hokkaido Shinkansen, in cooperation with Japan Traffic Culture Association. I have heard that Mr. Igashi, who is from Hokkaido, made this work with a new expression using hand-blown glass, wishing that the quiet mountains in Southern Hokkaido well known for its scenic beauty, the shining lake surface, the beautiful flowers, and the vitality of the trees unite together to create a future, hope and energy in people's hearts. This beautiful work on the theme of the nature at Onuma "Water, Light and Earth" is at a place to welcome the visitors by Shinkansen firstly, and I think you can realize that you have arrived at the northern land where rich nature spreads. I express my sincere respect and gratitude to everyone who made efforts in creating and installing this work including Mr. IGARASHI. In Hokkaido, there are many resources for tourism which are highly appreciated at home and abroad such as Shiretoko, which is a world natural heritage, Niseko, which is famous overseas with powder snow, Lake Toya, which is certified as a World Geopark, Mount Usu, Mount Apoi and so on as well as the Southern Hokkaido region. In addition, there are plenty of food appeal such as diverse agricultural products, fresh seafood, sweets with plenty of safe and secure dairy products nurtured by the clean water and the large earth and so on. By all means, I would like to encourage everyone to visit here by Hokkaido Shinkansen to enjoy Hokkaido where there are many ways to enjoy each season and area. I hope this wonderful work has been loved for a long time and continue to fascinate the visitors as a symbol of Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto station.

President, Hokkaido Railway Company
Osamu Shimada
Owing to the public art promotion activity by Japan Traffic Culture Association and the cooperation by Seibu Group, we are pleased to announce that a "Luce Arte (light art)" by Mr. IGARASHI Takenobu will be installed at the free passage at Hokkaido Shinkansen Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station. I am deeply grateful to everyone involved, including Mr. IGARASHI who is from Hokkaido and is also familiar with JR Tower, a commercial facility of our company. Originating from the Toyamaru typhoon marine accident in 1954, starting from the opening of Seikan tunnel as a business line in 1988, the plan of Hokkaido Shinkansen will be realized on March 26 on the many pioneers' efforts and enthusiasm and hardships. Finally, the Shinkansen era in Hokkaido has come. It is great that the whole country is connected by the rail of Shinkansen, and new interactions and cooperations will be born. I would like a lot of people to take Shinkansen from all over the country and travel in Southern Hokkaido and whole Hokkaido. And, I wish this work will be loved by all the visitors for many years as a symbol of Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station.

President, East Japan Railway Company
Tetsuro Tomita
Congratulations on opening Hokkaido Shinkansen and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station this time. With the opening of Hokkaido Shinkansen, Hokkaido and Honshu have been connected by Shinkansen finally. Since Tokaido Shinkansen launched in 1964, this day has come after about 50 years. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone concerned for their efforts. At the free passage of the newly opened Hakodate-Hokuto-Station, under the designing and supervision by Mr. IGARASHI Takenobu, who is from Hokkaido, a stained glass with the motif of the rich nature in Southern Hokkaido symbolized by earth with full of pure water and light will be installed. The station is a space where many people are connected and exchange, and new encounters and emotions are created. I am convinced that this stained glass will be a symbolic presence to feel a new future suitable for Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto station, which will be a new transportation base connecting Hokkaido and Honshu, and will bring new vitality and moisture to people. Our company will also make efforts on polishing the attractiveness as a wide tourism area by integrating the area from Southern Hokkaido to Northern Tohoku based on providing safe and stable transportation. We will actively develop various measures to achieve that, so we aim to increase inbound demand from overseas also in addition to activating mutual flow between Hokkaido and the metropolitan - Tohoku area. I hope that many visitors will come and this wonderful stained glass will be familiar to you forever.

President, Seibu Holdings
Takashi Goto
This time, I am celebrating from the bottom of my heart that a wonderful public art will appear here, with the opening of Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station on Hokkaido Shinkansen. The stained glass "Muku Muku - homage to water, light and earth" expresses the rich nature that Southern Hokkaido boasts, and I feel the charm of staring unexpectedly in its design that reflects pure brightness. I assume the people who get off at Shin-Hakodate-Hokutoi Station, which can be called a new main gate of Hokkaido also, will think about Onuma Quasi-National Park which spreads beyond this stained glass and feel as if fuse into the nature as well as feel relaxed with it wonderfully. Residents in Japan will also be able to enjoy the majestic Hokkaido from this place. I think that "Muku Muku - homage to water, light and earth" is just an art in which such thought is condensed. And I am very pleased that Seibu Holdings and Prince Hotel were involved as a sponsor in the installation, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Japan Traffic Culture Association, who gave us an offer, JR Hokkaido, and Mr. Takenobu Igarashi, who created a wonderful work. Prince Hotel belonging to our group has six hotels including Hakodate Onuma Prince Hotel in Hokkaido, and operates golf courses and ski resorts also. We will continue to work with Hokkaido citizens and strive to promote tourism based on Hokkaido by the whole group, according to the spirit of "We always act as a member of the community", which we announces as a group publicity. In conclusion, if this work is memorable for a long time as memories of the many travelers visiting Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, there is nothing so proud. I am convinced that such power lives in the work.

Director General, Japan Traffic Culture Association
Hisao Taki
Congratulations on opening Hokkaido Shinkansen. I am pleased that we have installed a public art work at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station at this memorable occasion. Expecting the future Hokkaido Shinkansen, construction of Seikan Tunnel started in 1964, 52 years ago. The tunnel opened in 1988, and then 28 years have passed. We have reached a destination as a railway nation now. It is a great feature for Hokkaido and Tohoku tourism that Shinkansen which can be boasted to the world runs to Hokkaido through Seikan Tunnel. I hope this work will be familiar as a symbolic presence to welcome the travelers who visit Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, which will be the base point of the north area, from home and abroad. Our Japan Traffic Culture Association has been actively engaged in promoting art and culture, since its establishment in 1948. The main pillars are the scholarship projects represented by "Takifuji Foundation" and "International Takifuji Art Award", and the public art promotion project. There is a word expressing the thought that is the basis of those efforts. The next sentence Herbert Read left in his book "The Meaning of Art". "What we are missing is not an artist, but the masses. Not the art conscious masses, but unconsciously artistic masses." We continue our projects hoping that the arts installed in the public spaces help to realize the social environment in which everyone unconsciously touches arts with relaxation and moisture. I express deep gratitude to everyone who cooperated for this work including Hokkaido Railway Company and Seibu Holdings, and I ask for your continued understanding and cooperation in our association's projects including the spread of public art.