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Artist Bill Nasogaluak stands in front of the Friendship inukshuk he designed for an Osaka subway line. - photos courtesy of Tawna Brown The inukshuk designed by Bill Nasogaluak stands 2.6 metres in height. It was unveiled at a special ceremony on Oct. 17.

Tuktoyaktuk artist Bill Nasogaluak created a 11,000-pound inukshuk that is now on permanent display at a new subway line in Osaka, Japan.

The Kansai Canada Business Association in Osaka (KCBA) contracted the celebrated artist to design the inukshuk for the opening of the new Keihan Nakanoshima train line in downtown Osaka.

The inukshuk was to be a gift from the KCBA to the people of the Kansai region to mark the opening of the new train line. The KCBA promotes trade and commercial relations between the Kansai region and Canada. The Kansai region is considered the cultural heartland of Japan and includes the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe and Nara. In attendance at the unveiling ceremony last month were Jonathan Fried, Canadian Ambassador to Japan, Osaka's mayor Kunio Hiramatsu, Osaka Prefecture vice governor Yasuyuki Ogawa and KCBA Chair Carlos Ramirez among many other dignitaries.

This inukshuk features only one large leg rather than the traditional two-legged designs Northerners are familiar with. The single base provides a solid foundation able to withstand Japan's earthquake tremors.

After final assembly and dismantling of the inukshuk in Toronto, the inukshuk was shipped to Vancouver by train and then from Vancouver to Osaka, Japan by ship.

In Osaka, the construction crew brought four stone blocks down 96 stairs into the subway station. It took 12 hours to get the largest stone (at 6,420 pounds – nearly three tons) down those stairs. It took two days to bring all four stones down the stairs and have them installed at the permanent site.

Nasogaluak had previously created two large inukshuk monuments in Mexico and Guatemala.

The Osaka sculpture is now known as the Friendship Inukshuk, representing the strong bonds between Japan and Canada.