Expo '70 "Tower of the Sun" keychain - Okamoto Tarō - still sealed

A souvenir from the Osaka 1970 World Expo that has remained unopened in its retail packaging for fifty-five years.

The keychain features a bronze-colored medal with a relief of the Tower of the Sun and the inscription EXPO'70 · OSAKA · JAPAN. The retail card is printed with the item number HK1-200 and the characters 万博記念 ("World Expo Commemoration") and remains factory-sealed.

The Tower of the Sun

The Tower of the Sun (太陽の塔) is the structural landmark of the Osaka World Expo and was created by Tarō Okamoto, arguably the most idiosyncratic Japanese artist of the 20th century. He deliberately placed the seventy-meter-high tower through the festival plaza roof designed by Kenzō Tange – a break with the architecture that Okamoto understood as a confrontation between archaic power and technical modernity.

The tower features three faces: one at the top representing the future, one on the front for the present, and one on the back for the past. It is the only major structure from the exhibition that has been preserved and still stands today in the Expo Park in Suita.

The medal on this keychain depicts both front faces in relief, set against a radiant halo.

For clarification: The exhibition's five-petaled cherry blossom emblem – which can be found on most other Expo souvenirs – was not designed by Okamoto, but by Takeshi Ōtaka. Okamoto was responsible for the tower.

Design

The round medal has an antique bronze patina, which enhances the relief effect: the raised faces and the radiant background stand out clearly from the recessed base. A fine beaded border frames the surface.

The pendant is attached to a chrome-plated chain with a keyring, with an enameled red and yellow plaque in between bearing the lettering EXPO 70. The red retail card features the same lettering on a curved ribbon.

Dating

1970, for the World Expo in Osaka.

Condition

The keychain is unopened and unused; the clear packaging is factory-sealed. Consequently, the medal, enamel plaque, and chain are in as-new condition.

The packaging itself shows age-related storage marks: the film is slightly clouded and shows signs of creasing; the red backing card is rubbed at the edges.

We have deliberately not opened the packaging – for a souvenir of this age, its unopened state is an intrinsic part of the object.

The actual condition is shown unretouched in the product photos.

Technical Specifications

• Occasion: Osaka World Expo 1970 (Expo '70)
• Motif: Tower of the Sun, designed by Tarō Okamoto
• Item number: HK1-200
• Material: Metal, antique bronze patina, with enameled plaque
• Diameter of medal: approx. 34.5 mm
• Weight incl. original packaging: 19 g
• Dating: 1970
• Origin: Japan
• Condition: original factory-sealed, unopened

For whom?

For collectors of World Expo memorabilia and lovers of Tarō Okamoto. As a small, affordable piece of design history. And for anyone who likes the idea of owning an object that no one has unpacked since 1970.

Warranty (used)

This is a used item. The limitation period for claims for defects under the statutory warranty is 12 months from delivery.