Photo/Illutration A cage that previously housed macaques stands in what is known to locals as the “monkey park” in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Jan. 22. (Naoyuki Mori)

ASHIYA, Hyogo Prefecture--City officials are considering the controversial idea of removing a local park’s uninhabited monkey cage, which is beloved by Haruki Murakami fans because it is believed to be featured in his debut novel.

Uchide Park is presumed to be the model for the “park with a monkey cage” that appears in “Hear the Wind Sing,” a 1979 work of fiction by Murakami, 73. It has become a pilgrimage site for devotees of the famed author.

Removing the cherished cage, which has long sat empty, is being floated as part of a broader plan for remodeling the park, which is expected to start sometime around June next year.

Koji Konishi, 73, a local historian and member of the Hanshinkan Regional Culture Institute, said he is opposed to the idea.

“The cage has come to be known by audiences both in Japan and abroad and has turned into a valuable piece of cultural heritage for Ashiya precisely because it has been preserved by the local population,” he said. “Its removal would amount to a big loss.”

The park, known to neighborhood residents as the “monkey park,” is close to Hanshin Uchide Station, but has been without animals for more than a decade.

The city organized a meeting in November to listen to the views of residents about remodeling the park in fiscal 2023, and most of those who attended called for removing the cage, which led the city government to consider it, officials said.

“A more extensive use of the park would require removing the cage, which sits in the central part,” one city government official said. “We will think about the option of preserving a record of the cage, such as by reusing part of its fences.”

The park originally began hosting animals when seven Taiwan macaques, squirrels and other creatures were donated by the Ashiya Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1959, according to city officials.

It came to serve as a substitute zoo for locals and hosted eight species of animals, including peacocks and striped squirrels, in 1989.

There were, however, only two monkeys left in 1980, down from the initial seven. The last macaque died in 2003, and there were no animals left by the end of March 2010.

An aviary has since been removed, but the monkey cage, which measures 4 meters wide and 5 meters long, has been preserved at the request of various parties, including the local Uchide neighborhood store association.

The preservationists said they wanted to use the cage for community revitalization events, among other things, particularly because it is featured in the famed work of fiction.

Panels with illustrations of monkeys were installed on the empty cage in fall 2010. One of the panels shows the image of a monkey on a swing reading “Kafka on the Shore,” another Murakami novel.

Hajime Kanada, 70, a former head of the Uchide neighborhood store association who gave a speech at the ceremony to unveil the panels with the monkey illustrations, expressed understanding toward the city government’s proposal.

“I suppose there are pros and cons, but removing the cage appears unavoidable when you think about the future of the park,” he said.

The park is expected to close for the remodeling work sometime around June or July 2023. The work will be finished no later than March 2024, officials said.

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