Top 9 Astonishing Facts about Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Japan

A-Dome. Photo sourced from Wikimedia

Top 9 Astonishing Facts about Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Japan

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is in the centre of Hiroshima, Japan. This memorial park is dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima city as well as to the victims affected by the bomb.

It was the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack where more than 200,000 people were affected.

The unfortunate event happened in 1945 when the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima.

This memorial park is famous in Hiroshima and Japan at large. More than a million people visit it every year.

Architect Kenzō Tange was the one tasked with the planning and designing of the park. Located on a 30-acre piece of land, the memorial park has several statues, monuments and a Peace Memorial Museum.

Here are the top 9 astonishing facts about Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.  

1. The Cenotaph is one of the attractions in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

Photo by Balon Greyjoy – Wikimedia

The Cenotaph is a curved concrete monument that has a list of the names of all the known victims of the atomic bomb.

It stands at one end of the pool at the centre of Peace Memorial Park. This memorial concrete frames the Flame of Peace further down the pond and the Atomic Bomb Dome across the river.

The Flame of Peace is set to burn on until all the world’s nuclear weapons are destroyed.

The designers of this park intended for the three monuments to be aligned in a straight line.

A stone chest under the arch represents the roof. It was inspired by the haniwa pottery used to decorate prehistoric tombs.

The Cenotaph was built out of a need to rebuild post-war Hiroshima as a city dedicated to peace.

2. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has detailed information about the bombing

Photo by Gelfer – Wikimedia

There is a memorial museum in this Peace Memorial Museum. The museum was built by the city of Hiroshima.

It showcases accurate pictures of the atomic attack by recordings the tragic and terrible effects of the bombing and subsequent radiation. It was opened to the public in 1950.

One spectacular artefact in this museum is a pocket watch that stopped at exactly 0815 hours when the bomb detonated.  

There is enough information on the events that happened before, during and after the war. It also has information explaining the role of Hiroshima during the war.

One will also get to see photos of the effects of the bomb. While at the museum, one can see the Memorial Cenotaph, Peace Flame, and A-Bomb Dome.

3. The Peace Memorial Hall is quite significant

Photo by Tokyo-Good – Wikimedia

The Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims is another attraction in this park.

It was built to mourn and honour the victims of the atomic bomb. Other than it being a memorial hall, it is symbolic of Japan’s desire for long-lasting peace.

The Hall of Remembrance, has a 360-degree panorama of the destroyed city of Hiroshima recreated using 140,000 tiles.

This is significant because it is the number of people believed to have died from the bomb by the end of 1945.

A-Bomb Day is commemorated on August 6^th every year in Hiroshima. They pray for lasting peace in the world. A minute of silence is always observed at 0815hours in honour of those that lost their lives.   

4. The Peace Flame and Peace Bells are other important monuments in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

Other significant monuments in this park are the Peace Flame and Peace Bell. These two monuments honour the victims of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.

They are also symbolic. The Peace Flame was first lit in 1964 and has never been put out. It will remain lit until all nuclear bombs on the planet are destroyed.

Aside from the Peace Flame are three Peace Bells. The smallest one is only used for the Peace Memorial Ceremony.  

On other days the bells are displayed in the east building of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

There is a map of the world on the Peace Bell with a Greek inscription that translates to Know Yourself.

5. There is a Cenotaph for Korean Victims at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

Photo by Ryan Cragun – Wikimedia

Among the 400,000 people killed by the atomic bomb, about 45,000 were Korean.

After the bomb attack, more than 300,000 Koreas that survived returned to Korea. This was after their country was liberated from Japan.

To honour both the victims and survivors, the Japanese built a monument and decorated it with Korean national symbols.  

On the monument is an inscription that reads the Monument in Memory of the Korean Victims of the Atomic-Bomb. In memory of the souls of His Highness Prince Yi Wu and over 20000 other souls.

The monument has ten gates on which the word peace is written in more than 49 languages from all over the world.

6. Not every Japanese agrees with the phrase on the Cenotaph at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

The cenotaph carries the caption which when translated to the English language means please rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the error.

It was written to memorialize the victims of Hiroshima without politicizing it.  The caption was written by Tadayoshi Saika, Professor of English Literature at Hiroshima University.

Another inscription on the front panel has a prayer for the peaceful rest of the victims and a pledge on behalf of all humanity never to repeat the evil of war.

It embodies the spirit of Hiroshima which is enduring grief, transcending hatred, pursuing harmony, prosperity for all and lasting world peace.

7. Children’s Peace Monument is popular at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

One attraction especially for children is the children’s peace monument. It is dedicated to Sasaki Sadako who was exposed to radiation at the age of two when Hiroshima was bombed.

Ten years after the atomic bomb explosion, she was diagnosed with Leukaemia, eight months later, she died after having unsuccessfully battled the ailment.

Her attempts to recover were to make more than 1,000 origami cranes, which according to Japanese beliefs had healing powers.

She made about 1,300 origamis using the paper wrappings of her medicine. In 1958, a memorial statue was erected in her memory.    

When you visit, you will find thousands of colourful paper planes surrounding the monument. They were made by Japanese school children and from all over the world.  

8. The A-bomb Dome used to be an exhibition hall

A-Bomb Dome. Photo sourced from Wikimedia

The A-bomb Dome is a brick building that was designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel.

He completed it in 1915 as the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall. In 1945, the building was used as the national and municipal government offices.

It was located just 160 meters from the epicentre of the blast therefore most of the building’s walls were destroyed in the bombing.

The hall was one of the few buildings that were not flattened by the bomb. It, therefore, became a symbol of the atomic bombing.

In 1996 it was named as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

9. Rest House is another historical monument at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

The Rest House of Hiroshima Peace Park is another atomic bombed building in the park.

This building was built as the Taishoya Kimono Shop in March 1929. It used to be a fuel distribution station when the shortage of fuel began in June 1944.

Its roof was crushed in 1945 when the bomb exploded. The interior was destroyed and 36 people died.

The only survivor was a 47-year-old man named Eizo Nomura. He was in the basement whose roof was made of concrete.

Radiation could not easily penetrate through the concrete.  Nomura lives to his 80s.