![]() ![]() “There is nothing else like it in the world.” “It’s a symbol of the importance of everlasting peace,” said student Ayaka Ogami. Officially named Hiroshima Peace Memorial, most locals simply call it genbaku domu, or A-bomb Dome. Today, this building – the untouched ruins still as they were after the explosion – is the city’s spiritual heart. On the opposite bank, the skeletal form of the Industrial Promotion Hall was preserved as an expression of hope for the eradication of nuclear weapons. This area of more than 120,000 sq m, previously the city’s commercial and residential centre, is home to more than 60 peace-related monuments and facilities, most notably the Peace Memorial Museum. It’s an ideal that Hiroshima’s residents still strive for.Īs a symbol of this wish, Peace Memorial Park was created in downtown Hiroshima on the banks of the Motoyasu River. For the first time in world history, an entire city underwent efforts to devote itself to the promotion of peace. ![]() It completely reimagined Hiroshima as a Peace Memorial City “to symbolize the … sincere pursuit of genuine and lasting peace”. At Hiroshima’s first Peace Festival in 1947, Hamai set the example for all future Hiroshima mayors when he proclaimed: “Let us join together to sweep from this Earth the horror of war, and to build a true peace.”Īccordingly, the 1949 Construction Law didn’t envisage simply rebuilding the city. This law was the fruit of persistent efforts by local residents, particularly mayor Shinzo Hamai. You can see the orange pagoda today, rising above the maple trees at Mitaki Temple, one of Hiroshima’s most serene spots.īut the key step in the city’s regeneration happened on 6 August 1949, with the enactment of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law. A temple in Wakayama Prefecture even donated a complete 16th-Century pagoda, a gesture of spiritual solidarity. Meanwhile, help poured in from all over Japan and abroad, from street cars to get the town up and running to trees to replace the vanished greenery. The oleander and the camphor were later proclaimed Hiroshima’s official flower and tree, cherished symbols of the city’s resilience. Their recovery touched the hearts of local people. Camphor trees – many of them hundreds of years old – sprouted new branches. But then a remarkable series of events ensured that Hiroshima would also go down in history for far more inspirational reasons.įirst, by autumn 1945, weeds began to sprout from the scorched earth, confounding the expert’s predictions.
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