Ueno Park

• Japanese: 上野公園 (Ueno kouen)

Ueno Park is a major public park in Tokyo. Located on the former grounds of the Tokugawa clan patron temple of Kan'ei-ji, it served as a major site of national ceremonies, expositions, and events in the Meiji period, and is today home to a number of major national institutions, including the Tokyo National Museum, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo University of the Arts, Museum of Western Art, and so forth.

Other notable sights in the park include a statue of Saigô Takamori designed by Takamura Kôun and unveiled in 1898, and a gravesite for the Shôgitai, established in 1869 and expanded in 1874.

History

A grand reception for Ulysses S. Grant, held in 1879, was one of the first major public events held in the park. After that, it became the site for a number of major expositions and events, including the first modern museum-style exhibition of the works of Hokusai, in 1900,