YAMAGUCHI (Kyodo) A portrait of a poet from Yamaguchi Prefecture made of 120,000 photos of smiling faces has been certified as the world's largest photo mosaic by Guinness World Records.

The picture of Misuzu Kaneko, measuring 31.78 meters long by 42.82 meters wide, was created by the local chamber of commerce to promote the city. Kaneko was born in Nagato, Yamaguchi, in 1903 and wrote poems and songs for children.

More than 200 residents laid out the photos on New Year's Eve, taking more than six hours.

The chamber decided to use the photos of smiling faces as Kaneko wrote in one of her poems, "Everyone is different, and everyone is great."

The previous record mosaic had about 113,000 photos.