Japanese town wants Michelangelo’s David to don some tighty whities

The great sculptor Michelangelo certainly never envisioned his statue of the nude David would ever be hidden behind a pair of tighty whities.

But that's exactly what the residents of one Japanese town want to do – cover up the David and all of his, um, glory with a pair of underpants.

The 16-foot replica of the Renaissance sculpture was installed suddenly in the town of Okuizumo last summer after a donation from a local businessman, reports AFP.

The David was installed alongside a "topless" Venus de Milo in front of a large public park that includes a play apparatus for children.

Local residents told the Daily Mail newspaper that the towering nude sculptures are "frightening the children and worrying the adults with its nakedness’"

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

"They are statues of unclothed humans, and such pieces of art work are very rare in our area. Some people apparently said the statues might not be good for their children," he said.

Although most people in this small town of 15,000 were supportive of the new artwork, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported that some have asked for David to wear underwear to preserve his modesty.