Historic Japanese Momotaro statue stolen in downtown San Jose

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — A statue that was given to the City of San Jose as a gift from its sister city Okayama, Japan, has been stolen and police are asking for the community’s help.

The Momotaro statue, which stood in downtown San Jose for more than three decades, was stolen under the cover of darkness on October 15.

Only the feet of Momotaro and his friends – the dog and the monkey – are left behind.

“This art is not just the city’s, it’s the community’s, it’s ours and this was stolen from us,” Carlos Velazquez with San Jose’s Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs said. “From the way that it was cut, it seemed like there was some precision saw. We are hoping to get a little bit more information and any leads that we can get from the community would be a big help.”

Momotaro is a hero from Japanese folklore, said to have been born from a giant peach, he was revered for his many victorious battles against oni — or demons.

The statue was a gift from the city considered to be his home, Okayama, Japan.

Joseph Hedges, San Jose’s international affairs manager, says it was given as a sign of respect to San Jose – Okayama’s sister city for nearly 70 years.

“San Jose and Okayama were among the first cities in the United States in Japan to establish a relationship after the program was launched by President Eisenhower,” Hedges said. Members of our sister city community are aware of the statue. They are, of course, quite disappointed. They were shocked.”

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The statue itself stands five feet tall and is made of bronze. Another just like it stands tall at Okayama Station in Japan.

Hedges says there has been other statue theft in which the thieves destroy the statues, melting them down for their valuable resources. He hopes that’s not the case here.

“The linkage with Okayama is very deep,” Hedges said. “It’s been in existence for 68 years and it has involve the entire community during those 68 years. So, we’re hopeful that the statue will be recovered and certainly it can be replaced.”

There’s concern that the statue is being sold on aftermarket websites or being held somewhere in town.

If you have any information, you were asked to reach out to the nonemergency line for San Jose police.