Hideaki Anno, the creator of well-known mecha anime Evangelion, had a 22-foot “Spear of Longinus” installed in his hometown, serving as a tribute to the popular series.

The Spear of Longinus, which is from the series, is a 22-foot spear, and one of the exact same length was installed in the city of Ube, located in Yamaguchi Prefecture. It weighs over a ton and even lights up between 5:30 and 9:30.

About 40 people contributed towards its creation (it is made of scrap steel) at the local company Ube Steel Co., and the concept for it began back in July 2022.

Hisao Yamane, who serves as president of Ube Steel, was convinced the spear wouldn’t come to fruition, and also stated “We used advanced technology to make the spiral portion straight. We hope people will actually touch and enjoy the steel’s texture”.

The mayor of Ube hoped that people from both Japan and outside the country would come visit the tourist attraction. It wasn’t noted if Anno had any direct involvement in the spear’s creation, but it was mentioned that Evangelion’s copyright management interacted with Ube Steel Co. for the installation.