The people have made it clear that they want the shrine to stay, but will that be enough to save it?

Bordering a large park in Tokushima Prefecture on the western tip of Shikoku lies a shrine dedicated to the mischievous tanuki. Though it’s not a very old shrine–it was built in 1956–Kincho Shrine is beloved by the residents of Komatsushima City not only because of its endearing tanuki decorations, but also because of its appearance in the Studio Ghibli anime Pom Poko, directed by the late Isao Takahata.

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Sadly, Kincho Shrine may soon be bulldozed and turned into a parking lot. It’s part of Hinomine Omiko Park, which Komatsushima City has been planning to demolish and turn into an emergency management facility by 2023. The shrine, which sits on the edge of the park, is apparently in the perfect place for a parking lot, and therefore is also facing the danger of demolition.

When the plans were announced earlier this year, local citizens and fans of Ghibli were outraged that an iconic setting and unique local feature would be destroyed, and a Citizen’s Committee to Protect Kincho Shrine was formed. The first order of business was to create a petition to protect the shrine, the goal of which, the committee chairman said, was “not to protest the plan for redevelopment, but to encourage the city to put its best efforts towards preservation.”

▼ The shrine is also apparently a beautiful place to visit in spring, which makes it even more of a shame if it were to be torn down (red pandas are not known to be native to the area).

The petition was conducted both in-person and online. Members of the committee petitioned locals in 36 places around Komatsushima City between April and June and received 3,092 signatures, while an online petition, which had started in March, gathered 7,094 signatures from netizens around the world. In total they were able to collect over 10,000 signatures in support of the shrine.

The committee submitted the petition to the Mayor and City Council Chairman of Komatsushima City on July 31, in hope that the city government would form a committee that would quickly work towards a solution. However, one problem still remains: the shrine rests on private property.

▼ Tanuki statues in Kincho Shrine

“The shrine does not belong to the city, and therefore we are not in a place to make a decision regarding it,” said the mayor.

Interestingly, it seems like nobody knows who the owner of the property is, so it is likely that the next step would be to find the owner and begin negotiations with them. Whether or not the city is able to move forward with their plan hinges on the decision of the property owner, so undoubtedly fans and supporters of the shrine are waiting for the outcome with bated breath.

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Fortunately, several places that inspired Ghibli films are still active and in no danger of demolition in the near future, like Tomonoura, which inspired the setting for Ponyo, and Yakushima Island, the stunning inspiration for Princess Mononoke. If Kincho Shrine does end up demolished, Ghibli fans will certainly mourn its loss, but at least they will still have some wonderful Ghibli places to explore.

Source: Yahoo! Japan News/Tokushima Shimbun
Featured Image: Instagram/@akatsukyoooco