Tower of the Sun

The Tower of the Sun was constructed for the Osaka World Exposition of 1970. Construction began in 1969. The Front Face of the Sun measured twelve meters in diameter and was attached to the middle of the tower on 30 September. The Golden Mask of the Sun was mounted on the top of the tower, 65 meters above the ground. (The installation ceremony for the Golden Mask was followed by the splitting of the Kusu-dama (large ball) from which doves and balloons burst out into the autumnal sky, while two giant cranes lifted the mask up onto its stand slowly and carefully.) Soon afterwards, the Black Face was installed, looking towards the Festival Plaza. The Tree of Life was set inside the tower in November, and its painting completed on 21 February 1970. (Models of living creatures, 292 altogether, ranging from amoeba through jellyfish to primitive man, were attached to the branches of the tree.)