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Black Slide Mantra and Isamu Noguchi

After drawing plans for Moerenuma Park, Noguchi once again visited Sapporo in May 1998, this time to announce the first prototype model of the park. The initial response to his ideas, however, was not entirely favorable. "I did not understand it well back then," recalls Hitoshi Yamamoto, present director of Moerenuma Park.
Noguchi became disillusioned by the disappointment of receiving such poor reaction.

Noguchi was later guided to Odori Park, where another sculpture of his was to be to be placed. A group of people, including Director Yamamoto, accompanied him to discuss how a slide sculpture for the city proposed by Noguchi would be placed appropriately.

Noguchi arrived at Nishi 9-chome (West 9 block) on a beautiful sunny day, announcing, "This is a good park, but it's a shame that wehave to stop here at traffic lights."
Many children were shouting with pleasure as they slid down the small ski slope adjacent to the sand pit, also known as "Whale Mountain." Footage of a smiling Noguchi sliding down this slope together with the children still remains recorded on video tape.

Although he had originally planned to place his sculpture in the middle of 9-chome, Noguchi declared, "I will not place it here." After some thought, Noguchi finally pointed to the strip of road between 8-chome and 9-chome saying, "This might be a nice place for it." The slide was to be made out of black stone so that it could be seen even in the snowy landscape of Sapporo. Noguchi wished to place the sculpture on the side of the road and the sidewalk in order to connect the park and make it safe for children and also so that the sculpture could be viewed from all directions. In order to make this happen, a section of the road from north to south had to be intercepted.

The location for the sculpture, "Black Slide Mantra," was not decided upon easily. The sculpture was eventually placed on the lawn on Nishi 8-chome three years after Noguchi passed away. In respect of Noguchi's will, however, the Black Slide Mantra was moved to its present-day location between Nishi 8-chome and Nishi 9-chome. The portion of road running from north to south in this location was removed, making this area the widest section of the park. Children can now run freely in this vast playground.

Black Slide Mantra stands on an elevated patch of grass. Noguchi had said, "The completion of this sculpture will be when children polish it with their bottoms as they slide down." As evidence of that, on sunny days children continue to slide down the mantra just like he imagined.

(Original Article in Japanese text and photo by Takuya Yoshimura)

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