This little fellow, who loves books so much* that he reads while hauling firewood, is standing outside of the Yaesu Book Center, eight floors of books, in downtown Tokyo.
I'll bet some sort of story is attached to this statue. I'll bet it's literally attached, on that plaque at his feet. Anyone have a guess about what the story might be?
* Unless the book is "How to Get a Job that Does Not Require Hauling Wood" - then his motivation may be something other than love of reading.
Ok, after five minutes of exhaustive research, I have a guess. Is the figure Kintaro? From what I can find, this is the name of a legendary nature-boy, who is in fact the son of an exiled princess. He and his mother live in the woods, where he astonishes the local woodcutters with his abilities (hence the sticks). Kintaro's other name is "the Golden Boy." Note: the legend does not refer to Kintaro reading as he goes around chopping down trees.
ReplyDeleteDid I get it? What do I win.