If you get off the Seibu Railway train at Higashi-Murayama station, a gateway to the suburban Tokyo city of the same name, you will be greeted by a somewhat surreal statue of a feudal lord in kimono giving a chin-level salute. It might leave you puzzled if you don’t know the context, but a majority of the Japanese public is likely to take it as a touching tribute to a superstar.
The statue is dedicated to Ken Shimura, a famed comedian and TV personality, who was born in 1950 in Higashimurayama. He performed for audiences from 1970 to 2020, when he passed away from COVID-19 complications. He was arguably the most beloved comedian in Japanese culture, known for many television appearances and original gags. One of his TV shows, Fun TV with Kato-chan and Ken-chan (1986–1992) was so successful that it got a localized spinoff in the U.S. in 1989: America’s Funniest Videos, which is still ongoing as of 2025.
In 1976, Shimura released a cover of “Higashimurayama Ondo,” a song originally written by the local farmers association in 1963, which became a surprise novelty hit of the year. To thank him popularizing its name, the city planted a trio of zelkova trees outside Higashi-Murayama station and dedicated them to Shimura, which have since come to be nicknamed Shimura’s Trees. Since his death, the station has used the melody of his “Ondo” as its signature jingle.
The statue of Ken Shimura was created from a crowdfunding campaign that raised 32 million yen from 6,600 donors, twice as much as it set out to raise. Designed by the Atelier K company, the statue was completed and inaugurated in June 2021, depicting the actor in his iconic Baka-tono (“silly lord”) persona striking his trademark pose, a gag dubbed Aiin. Behind the statue is a mural with a composite picture of Shimura and a message from the city: “Thank you for all the laughs and deep emotions that you gave us.”
