A statue of Raoh riding Kokuô was donated on April 24, 2026 to the Manga Institute in the city of Takamori, in Kumamoto Prefecture, the same city that houses the first manga department of a public high school in Japan and the Artist Village Aso 096, a residence and training center managed by Coamix, the publisher co-founded by Nobuhiko Horie and Tetsuo Hara.
The work and its creator
The statue was created and donated by Maruyama Tappei, a sculptor from Toyama Prefecture, known for having created the original One Piece statues installed at the ten iconic locations in Kumamoto Prefecture. A big fan of Raoh, he declared during the donation ceremony: “I hope the children who see this statue will be happy, and that their drive to draw manga will become as powerful as Raoh.”
The statue, made using 3D printing, depicts Raoh on his steed Kokuō, in a pose taken directly from the manga. It measures approximately 60 cm in height and 70 cm in width, with a bronze finish, at 1/8 scale of the character’s actual size (whose official height is set at 2.10 m in the manga). Maruyama also donated the clay model of the face, intended to serve as an educational tool for students.
A place full of meaning
The Artist Village Aso 096 is managed by Coamix, the publishing house founded in 2000 by Nobuhiko Horie (former editor-in-chief of Weekly Shōnen Jump) and Tetsuo Hara himself. Around forty young mangakas in residence and students from Takamori High School live and work there.
The Institute plans a public exhibition of the statue during future events.
Sources: NHK, Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun, KAB熊本放送.
