Japanese town demands pants for Michelangelo's David

Okuizumo town in western Shimane prefecture received the five-metre (16-foot) replica of David as a donation from a businessman who hails from the area.

Cover up: Residents unnerved by the replica of Michelangelo's statue has asked that it be given some pants to wear. Pic/AFP

The statue was put up in a large public park that also includes a full-size running track, a baseball stadium, tennis courts, a mountain bike course and a play area with apparatus for children.

"Some people have told the town's legislators that toddlers are afraid of the statue because it is so big and appeared unexpectedly over the summer," said town official Yoji Morinaga.

"It is a statue of a unclothed human, and such pieces of art work are very rare in our area. Some people apparently said the statue might not be good for their children," he said.

While many locals have welcomed the new cultural additions to the mountainside town of fewer than 15,000 residents, some have asked for David to wear underwear to preserve his modesty.

"It is the first time we have had anything like this in our town. Perhaps people were perplexed," Morinaga said. The town believes over time residents will come to appreciate the value of the sculpture, which could be useful in school art classes and may one day become a sightseeing attraction, he said.
The original David is housed in the Accademia di Belle Arti, in Florence, Italy.