Hiroshima
Hiroshima is known all over the world as the first city in history subjected to nuclear warfare when it was bombed during WW2. Hiroshima had large depots of military supplies and it was a key center for shipping. The eventual loss of over 200,000 lives has forever linked the city’s name with nuclear holocaust and mass killings.
After the war, Hiroshima was rebuilt. The city is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture and the largest one in the Chugoku region of western Honshu, and once again a flourishing provincial city. UNESCO listed the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genpaku Dome) as a World Heritage Site in 1996. The city is now a symbol of peace.
History
Peace Memorial Park
The area currently known as Peace Memorial Park was previously an urban district called Nakajima. It is estimated that at the time of the atomic bombing, some 6,500 people lived in the seven cho (neighborhood units) in the Nakajima district. On August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb in history exploded directly over this area. In addition to the usual inhabitants, thousands of volunteer members of the army corps and mobilized students were in the area demolishing buildings for a line of fire. Almost all of these lives were extinguished when the entire district disappeared instantly. The bomb devastated Hiroshima within a 5 km radius, resulting in 140,000-150,000 deaths in December of that year.
The Japanese are not the type of people that stop after disasters, but instead prefer to recover immediately, with their heads held high. On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima changed forever. However, instead of an end, the bombing triggered a new era. Suddenly and dramatically presented with destruction, the city adopted a new philosophy of pacifism.
On August 6, 1949, with the promulgation of the Construction Law of the Peace Memorial City of Hiroshima, it was decided that the entire Nakajima district would be dedicated to peace memorial facilities, and that was the beginning of what is now Peace Memorial Park. The park covers approximately 122,100 square meters. It was designed by Kenzo Tange, a professor at the University of Tokyo, and three other people, whose proposal was selected through a design competition that attracted 145 proposals.
At the southern end of the park, there is a line of three buildings: the East Building, the Main Building of the Peace Memorial Museum, and the Hiroshima International Conference Center. Even though this park is the symbol of a human tragedy, the Peace Memorial Park does not invite sadness but instead encourages looking at a brighter future.
On the other side of the dome, there is a cenotaph monument, or empty tomb, with the names of the victims. Protected by an arch that takes the symbolism of Shinto to protect the souls of the dead, it aligns with the flame of peace, burning since 1964, when it was first lit. The inscription ‘May all souls rest here in peace, because we will not repeat evil’ appears on the monument, calling on all mankind to never forget the horrors of Hiroshima so that it is not repeated. The moving perspective of these three strong symbols of the disaster ends with the Peace Memorial Museum, where the alignment of the ark, flame, and dome come together.
In the center of the park, between the Honkawa and Motoyasu river bridges, near the memorial tower of the mobilized students, there is a monument dedicated to children. Probably the most moving place in the park, this monument pays tribute to the hundreds of young people who were taken too soon. The story of Sadako Sasaki (1943-1955), her perseverance and hope, resonate with this monument. This girl, a survivor of the disaster, lived until 1955 when leukemia took her life.
According to Japanese legend, anyone who makes a thousand origami cranes can get their wish; with this hope, Sadako began to tirelessly fold sheets of colored paper. Unfortunately, she died before completing the task, having manufactured six hundred and forty-four cranes. Hundreds of other children were inspired to finish her task, and origami cranes became a symbol of healing.
Peace Memorial Museum
On July 5, 2006, the Main Building of the Peace Memorial Museum was designated as one of the important cultural assets of Japan. In the East building, Hiroshima before and after the bombing, the background of the bombing of Hiroshima, the actual situation of the nuclear era, and the peace efforts of the city of Hiroshima are introduced through models, images, and photo panels. There is also a video room where documentary films can be seen, and on the basement floors, there are exhibition halls of paintings of surviving citizens; meeting rooms and rooms where students on field trips can listen to testimonies of survivors, and a reference room for information where books about the atomic bombing and peace can be seen.
The main building shows artifacts and materials from the bomb that explain the terrible powers of heat rays, explosion, radiation, and intense heat fires. The facility is also equipped with sections where visitors can see and hear the testimonies of atomic bombing survivors and can write their impressions and messages for peace.
Suggestive exhibits at the museum include a molten tricycle that a 4-year-old boy was riding during the explosion that burned him to death. Similar moments are invoked through artifacts as small as a wristwatch or a lunchbox worn by a student who perished at school. Photos, documentaries, drawings of survivors’ nightmares, scientific explanations of the explosion, and artifacts such as melted glass and charred clothes hint at the unimaginable.
Atomic Bomb Dome
Although the Atomic Bomb Dome was located almost directly below the explosion, somehow that fact let it escape complete destruction. The residents of Hiroshima decided to keep intact this tragic reminder of the war. The site was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996. By visiting the Dome of the Atomic Bomb, the Cenotaph for Victims of the Atomic Bomb, and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum you get a deeper understanding of the suffering caused by the war and nuclear weapons and the true value of peace.
The bomb exploded at a height of 600 meters, 160 meters southeast of the Atomic Bomb Dome. At that time, the building was the Industrial Promotion Hall of Hiroshima Prefecture. At the time of the detonation, the explosion exerted 35 tons of pressure per square meter and created a fierce wind speed of 440 meters per second. The building absorbed the powerful explosion and heat and then burst into flames. Because the impact occurred almost directly above, curiously, the thick outer walls and the steel dome escaped complete destruction. However, the people who were inside at that time died instantly and the inside of the building was completely destroyed by fire.
It was the sad newspaper article about a schoolgirl, Hiroko Kajiyama, which determined the decision to preserve the Atomic Bomb Dome in its current state. Hiroko was exposed to radiation when she was a baby. She subsequently died of leukemia at the age of 16. The dome acts as a reminder of the force and unspeakable suffering caused by the bomb while continuing to symbolize the struggle to rid the world of nuclear weapons and achieve peace.
In the last three conservation projects (1967, 1989-1990 and 2002-2003), a minimum reinforcement with steel and synthetic resin was used to preserve the condition of the dome as it was after the atomic bomb attack. The dome is in its original location and its shape, design, materials, substance, and environment are completely authentic.
If you want to hear more background stories when visiting Hiroshima and Miyajima, booking a private guide for a day will help you make the most of your visit.
