Dedicated in 2008, Junkyu Muto’s 12-foot-high “Circle of Sacred Smoke,” the third of seven sculptures he plans to carve to promote world peace, represents the first circle of smoke ascending from a peace pipe, Muto said. The peace pipe has spiritual meaning for Native Americans, who consider Devils Tower a sacred mountain. Muto, who lives in Italy, planned the sculpture as the third installment in his vision for world peace. He gave a sculpture to Pope John Paul II in Vatican City and to the government of India, which was placed in Bodhgaya, India, near the Bodhi tree where, according to tradition, Buddha attained enlightenment.
Monday’s Monument: Circle of Sacred Smoke, Devils Tower, Wyoming
