Wani monument

The monument to Wani

The Tokyo audio-guided tour presents you, in Ueno Park, with a monument paying tribute to Doctor Wani, a scholar who is said to have introduced Confucianism and writing to Japan.

A figure between history and legend

According to one version of the story, Doctor Wani is said to have come from Korea to introduce Confucianism and the Chinese writing system to Japan. But very little information is available about this figure, whose very existence remains uncertain: he appears only in Japanese writings, never in Chinese or Korean sources, and the date of his coming varies according to the accounts, between the third and the fifth century. In any case, the Japanese attribute to him a founding role in access to reading and writing, and two monuments were erected in his honour in Ueno Park in 1940.

What there is to see

The monument pays tribute to a figure on the border of history and legend, to whom the Japanese attribute the introduction of writing, the foundation of their cultural identity. It is a discreet but meaningful stop, which invites reflection on the transmission of knowledge and the ancient exchanges between Japan and the continent.

Practical information

The monument to Wani is in Ueno Park, in Tokyo. It is a public monument visible freely at all hours and on the level, along the walk in the park.

Who was Doctor Wani?

A scholar who is said to have introduced writing and Confucianism to Japan from Korea; his existence remains, however, uncertain.

When was the monument to Wani erected?

In 1940, in Ueno Park, to celebrate the one to whom the Japanese attribute the introduction of writing.