Tsutenkaku Tower’s familiar silhouette is already a second beginning: the original tower was dismantled during the war, then rebuilt through local investment in the 1950s. Its changing history makes the landmark a story of neighborhood ownership as much as engineering.
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The tower’s name means something like “a building reaching through to the heavens,” but its strongest connection is to the neighborhood below. The first Tsutenkaku opened in 1912 alongside Luna Park, an amusement ground in the newly developed Shinsekai district. After a fire in 1943, the original tower was dismantled.
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UpgradeQuick facts
- The first tower opened in 1912 with Luna Park.
- The present tower was rebuilt in 1956 after local fundraising.
- Tachu Naito designed the second tower.
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