Walla Walla City Council to vote on Japanese sister city statues for Friendship Bridge

WALLA WALLA – The Walla Walla City Council will vote Wednesday on a proposal to accept two bronze statues of Japanese dancers for permanent display on the Spokane Street Friendship Bridge.

The 3-foot-tall sculptures, created by local artist Jeffrey J. Hill, represent a traditional folk dance from Walla Walla’s sister city, Tambasasayama, Hyogo, Japan. The project marks the final phase of the Friendship Bridge Project, celebrating a 50-year alliance between the two cities.

While people of Japanese descent make up only 1.2 percent of Walla Walla’s population, city staff noted the statues honor a deep historical relationship. The city of Walla Walla contributed $10,000 toward the commissioning of the pieces, which depict dancers performing a Japanese heritage dance honoring the spirits of ancestors.

Public works staff will install the statues at a nominal cost. If approved during the 6:30 p.m. meeting, the figures will join a commemorative plaque unveiled in 2023 to complete the bridge’s cultural redesign.

Photos via city of Walla Walla. Left photo shows Jeffrey Hill and Barbara Noel working on the female dancer clay model, the right photo shows clay model of the male dancer with Trevor Hunter of T. Hunter Bronze, Jeffrey Hill and Barbara Noel.

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Elkhorn Media Group