Squid King

Squid King (Japanese: イカキング, Hepburn: Ika Kingu) is a statue of a Japanese flying squid in Noto, Ishikawa, Japan. Designed to promote tourism and the town's fishing industry, the statue attracted widespread criticism as its construction had mostly been paid for with ¥25,000,000 from the town's COVID-19 relief money. According to the town, the statue and resulting media coverage resulted in a boost to the town's tourism industry.

Description

One storey long brown building with a grey sloped roof
The Squid Station Mall, where the statue is located

The Squid King is a fibre-reinforced plastic lifelike statue[1] of a "giant"[2][1] pink and white[2] Japanese flying squid (Todarodes pacificus).[3] The statue is 13 metres (43 ft) long,[2] 4 metres (13 ft) tall,[1] 9 metres (30 ft) wide,[4] and weighs around 5 tonnes (11,000 lb). It has long legs, "goggling eyes",[1] and there is a hole in the statue located where a real squid's mouth would be, to allow people to look out from inside the squid.[1][2] Squid King is located in front of Tsukumo Bay [ja][1] in Noto, Ishikawa's Noto Tsukumo Bay Tourism Exchange Center (のと九十九湾観光交流センター, Noto Tsukumo-wan Kankō Kōryu Sentā), also known as the Squid Station Mall (イカの駅つくモール, Ika no Ekitsuku Mōru).[4] It was officially named Squid King (イカキング, Ika Kingu) in June 2021 after a public contest; the town received 909 submissions for names. During the naming ceremony, the town installed a plaque by the statue.[5] Squid King has an official X account.[3]

Construction

The statue's construction cost ¥27,000,000, with 25 million coming from COVID-19 relief funds and grants given to Noto by the Japanese government and the rest coming from the town.[1][2] Noto had been given ¥800,000,000 by the Japanese government to help it through the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] According to Noto town, the Squid King was designed to aid the town by promoting tourism[2] and the town's fishing industry.[4] The theme of the statue was chosen so tourists could eat squid at the local shops and be "eaten" by a giant squid themselves.[6] The town additionally planned to build a "shop, restaurant, tourist information center and exhibition corner", later the Noto Tsukumo Bay Tourism Exchange Centre, starring Squid King.[1] The mall itself cost ¥520,000,000 to build.[7]

Reception

A display showing a rack of neon fishing lures and a model fishing boat in front of black and white signs
A display in the mall about squids and Noto's fishing industry

Squid King was revealed to the public in April 2021[8] and met with widespread criticism because it had been constructed with COVID-19 relief funds.[7] Several residents felt that their money should have gone to healthcare workers or other causes more directly related to the COVID-19 virus.[2][1][9] The resulting controversy was covered in non-Japanese media such as the BBC and The New York Times.[8] After a while it gained a following,[1] partially resulting from its international coverage.[3] According to the Mainichi Shimbun, the statue had become "symbolic" of the town.[6] A study published by Noto township in 2022 said that the town's economy had experienced a ¥604,000,000 boost from tourism and 45% of the 439 tourists they surveyed answered that they had come to Noto to see Squid King.[4]

The statue survived the January 2024 Noto earthquake and resulting tsunami with little to no damage.[10][3][7] In the immediate aftermath, the Squid King official Twitter account posted "I didn't return to the sea."[3] The statue's survival was seen by some residents, especially city officials, as a symbol of recovery and hope.[10][3][7] However, others were more indifferent.[7] Squid Station Mall, which was closed as a result of the earthquake, re-opened in April.[11] In October 2024, the town made Squid King the honourary chairman of their Junior Police Officer program (少年補導員), as part of a move to educate the children of Noto about crime prevention.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Kojima, Hiroyuki (June 6, 2021). "Squid statue paid for with COVID-19 funds inks following in Noto". The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h McCurry, Justin (May 5, 2021). "Japanese town spends Covid-19 funds on huge squid statue". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Kimura, Makoto (March 22, 2024). "Giant Squid Monument Withstood Jan. 1 Quake, Tsunami; 'King' Now a Beacon of Hope for Reconstruction". The Japan News. Yomiuri Shimbun. Archived from the original on February 14, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d "Giant squid statue in Noto, Ishikawa Prefecture, generates economic effects of ¥600 million, 22 times of construction cost". The Japan News (in Japanese). Yomiuri Shimbun. August 30, 2022. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  5. ^ 【石川】命名 イカキング 能登町のモニュメントに愛称：北陸中日新聞Web. Chunichi Shimbun (in Japanese). June 22, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  6. ^ a b 北陸オブジェ！：／8止 石川・能登 イカの駅つくモール 食うか、食われるか. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e Hagami, Tarō (April 30, 2024). 《全長13m、高さ最大4mの巨大モニュメント》「イカキングを復興のシンボルに」という動きに、地元住民の反応が鈍いワケ. Shūkan Bunshun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on September 3, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Kojima, Hiroyuki (April 19, 2022). BBCも取り上げたイカキング、賛否両論だったけど…1年後の効果：朝日新聞. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 21, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  9. ^ Ji, Yao (Nancy) (March 28, 2022), "Rural Revitalization in Times of COVID-19: A Small Island Community in the Seto Inland Sea", Chiri-Kagaku, vol. 73, no. 3, The Japanese Society for Geographical Sciences, p. 147, doi:10.20630/chirikagaku.76.3_140, 3, retrieved March 21, 2025
  10. ^ a b "Noto symbol 'Squid King' stands resolute amid quake devastation". The Japan Times. Jiji Press. March 13, 2024. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024.
  11. ^ 石川 能登町「イカの駅つくモール」約3か月ぶりに営業再開. NHK. April 8, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  12. ^ イカキングが少年防犯の名誉会長に 委嘱式「ついてイカない」児童誓う｜地域｜石川のニュース｜北國新聞. Hokkoku Shimbun (in Japanese). October 2, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2025.