The cenotaph at the heart of the Peace Memorial Park contains this stone chest. The stone chest contains a registry of the names of the known victims of the A-bomb blast. At each annual memorial service, the names of those who have passed away in the preceding year from the effects of the blast or from radiation-caused disease are added to the registry. On August 6, 2001, the list included the names of 221,893 victims who had been identified by relatives. Including other victims who were never identified, it is estimated that the death toll from the A-bomb at Hiroshima now stands at about 240,000 persons. - The cenotaph was designed by architect Kenzo Tange, then a professor at the University of Tokyo. The form of the cenotaph suggests the form of the roof of an ancient form of a house (see image ecasia000870), providing symbolic shelter for the souls of the victims. The inscription on the monument reads, "Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil."
Passage from the Memoir of Tamiko Tsunematsu (female) -- “The flames licked closer and closer, but my mother and I were not able to save either of them. [My sister called out,] ‘Mother, Tami-chan, hurry and get away. I will die here.’ Right after she said those words, my sister seemed to lose consciousness. ‘Rei-chan, I’m sorry. Forgive me, forgive me!,’ I sobbed. As I walked away I looked back, calling out ‘Forgive me, forgive me!’ I felt as if I would go mad. Mother and I held hands tightly. Then we looked back at our home neighborhood and put our hands together in prayer. The whole of our neighborhood was up in flames all around.â€
Passage from the Memoir of Sumiko Yoshii (female) “The doctors were overwhelmed. Finally, it was my sister’s turn. The doctor looked at her and said, ‘This one is beyond hope.’ He applied something that looked like vegetable oil to her burns and went on to the next. Suddenly, my sister said, ‘Sumi-chan, the doctor just said I was going to die, didn’t he?’ My sister’s voice gradually weakened and finally stopped. Then she said quietly, ‘There’s a soft breeze. It feels good.’ Then, suddenly, as if slipping into sleep, she murmured, ‘ Ah! I hear the sacred voices of heaven.’ So began her eternal slumber.â€
The Hall of Rememberance is a quiet space with subdued lighting, conducive to the prayer and contemplation to which it is dedicated. It is a round space, suggestive of a chapel, perhaps. On the walls are a photographic panorama taken from a spot close to the center of the blast. The panorama is made of tiles, 140,000 of them - one for each of the persons who died from the blast and its effects by the end of December, 1945. In the center of the space is glowing truncated cone with water constantly flowing down its sides, a symbolic statement reminding us of the suffering of the victims."
We hereby mourn those who perished in the atomic bombing. At the same time, we recall with great sorrow the many lives sacrificed to mistaken national policy. To ensure that no such tragedies are ever repeated, we pledge to convey the truth of these events throughout Japan and around the world, to pass it on to future generations, and to build, as soon as possible, a peaceful world free from nuclear weapons.
This wooden sandal (geta) belonged to a 13-year old girl, Miyoko, who was a first year student at First Municipal Girls High School. Like Teruko Aotani, she was exposed to the atomic bomb blast at a demolition work site. Her body was never found, but her mother found this sandal two months after the explosion and recognized immediately as one having belonged to Miyoko, because she had made the straps herself, using material from her kimono. Miyoko was 500 m from the hypocenter, Zaimoku-cho (now Nakajima-cho). (Donated by Tomiko Inoue.)
Kazuhiko Sasaki, 12-years old, was a first year student at First Hiroshima Prefectural Junior High School and was exposed to the atomic blast at his school, 1200 meters from the hypocenter, at Zakoba-cho (now Kokutaiji-machi). After the explosion, his mother walked the city searching for him. On the morning of August 8, she found his body near the school pool and cremated him there. The family later found this shoe, which had belonged to him, in rubble near the school and treasured it as a keepsake. (Donated by Ayako Sasaki.)
Near the point of the Peace Memorial Park, close to the blast hypocenter, is the Memorial Mound. The many bodies that lay strewn in the area near the hypocenter and the bodies pulled out of the river were brought to this site and cremated. Shortly after the end of the war, a vault and a memorial mound were built at the site. In 1955, a permanent vault and mound were built and unclaimed ashes from other sites throughout the city were brought here. It is estimated that the ashes of nearly 70,000 victims lie in the vault, victims whose ashes were unclaimed because the identity of the victims was unknown or because the entire family had perished and there was nobody to claim the ashes.
View of middle section of the upper pond garden at Samboin, a garden built for Hideyoshi in the late 16th c.
Stoneware with white and copper-green glazes, underglaze iron brushwork. - This image shows the opposite side of the vessel shown in image ecasia000366. It is an Oribe-ware ewer, showing the characteristic contrasting elements of Oribe-wares - white glazed areas with underglaze iron brushwork, often geometric patterns based on motifs from nature, contrasted with the freely poured patterns of copper green glaze. -- The image presented in ecasia000366 [enter that i.d. as a keyword search to view the image easily] was photographed in an Art Institute exhibit, "East Asian Ceramics, Then and Now," summer, 2005. It was placed in such a manner that it could be viewed from one side only [no reference to the MOMA Duchamp...]. The view presented here, ecasia000943, was photographed in a different Art Institute exhibit, "The Practice of Tea from the Edo Period to Today," on view during the spring and early summer, 2007. The vessel was placed in a case that allowed the viewing of both sides of the vessel in the second exhibit, permitting this second view, which provides an interesting look at the different nature of the design patterns on the two sides of the spout. On one side, the pattern is entirely the geometricized pattern of the hexagonal motif, perhaps derived from the abstraction of a flower form. On the other side of the spout is a combination of simplified, naturalistic flower motives and geometric abstractions of that form (the five lobed set of dots set around a central dot) and a pattern of straight linear strokes that may be an abstraction of the pattern formed by a fence. All of that activity is combined, of course, with the richness of contrast of created pattern / poured glaze, discussed in reference to image ecasia000366. -- One other point of interest to note in comparing the two views is the different position of the lid in the two views and the very different sense of patterning created by the different positions. -- Coll. Art Institute of Chicago (Gift of Robert Allerton, 1959.5) -- [Note also the difference in the color rendering between the two views, showing dramatically and unfortunately the difficulty of achieving accurate color representation in situations such as these, where the lighting in artificial and over which the photographer has no control. Both images have been edited somewhat to adjust the color balance in the image, but they remain different from one another and it is probably true that neither image is a truly accurate representation of the color of the actual object. This will be compounded by the fact that very few computer monitors are calibrated the same way, meaning that, even if the online images were completely true in color representation, it is likely that they would appear different on every monitor used to view them. Hence, in discussing images viewed online, one must be very careful and somewhat skeptical in discussing color; it is rarely accurate.]
Exterior of Ginkakuji, viewed across the garden pond. Note the framing of the pavilion by shape of the pine tree and note also the size and shape of the bushes in the foreground -- compare these elements to image I.D. No. ecasia000924, photographed a quarter of a century earlier.
Images of amorous couples adorn the outer entrances to several of the caves. These couples are understood to be auspicious symbols of good fortune, fertility and prosperity.
Moss garden located on the west side of the Hojo at Ryoanji. Kare sansui at Ryoanji is said to have been laid out in 1488 (by Soami?). Date of the moss garden? In this image note two details to compare with images I.D.no. ecasia000904 and ecasia000905: wall around west and north edges of the moss gardens have been removed, a new Butsuden has been built to the west of the moss garden, and the tree root seen in image from 1972, is still there...
In order to participate in the Hachiman Festival Parade in Morioka, my group had to be outfitted in proper footwear, the Japanese geta (sandal). This store, besides selling Western-style sneakers and dress shoes also specialized in traditional footwear with shoes for everyone from parade participants to brides.
Images of amorous couples adorn the outer entrances to several of the caves. These couples are understood to be auspicious symbols of good fortune, fertility and prosperity.
Detail, rock groups at east end of the garden at Ryoanji, viewed looking to the south-southeast from the eastern end of the veranda of the main building. Early morning, clear day in late spring.
A little girl is being dressed by her mother. She was one of the two small girls in traditional white-faced makeup that led our float in the Hachiman Festival Parade.
View along the length of the upper pond of the garden at Samboin, looking from the east end of the pond back to the west.
Looking out from the dining/living room of my host family's house into the garden and at the clothesline, where my host grandmother would hang the daily wash out to dry every day. Very traditional-style Japanese house with sliding rice paper doors, but enclosed by modern glass doors to insulate the house.
This Buddha figure was carved to appear seated on a pedastal behind an ornate doorway carved with bodhisattva figures in different poses, sitting and standing. This Buddha hands are held in the dharmacakra mudra, the gesture of teaching.
East end of the rock garden at Ryoanji, photographed from the veranda of the hojo, looking to the south. Early December morning, frost on the roof of the wall surrounding the garden. The frost will disappear quickly as the sun rises in the sky.
The former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Halll, as it has stood since the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. In front is one of the three rivers that runs through Hiroshima. This site is just down the river from the bridge that was the intended target for the atomic bomb.
Driving back to Morioka City (Iwate Prefecture) from an onsen (hot spring) weekend in the Aomori Prefecture.
The yearly family tradition of pruning the persimmon tree in the garden. Pictured are Ruri, the daughter in the family, sitting on the fence, and Kunio, her father in the green jacket.
Southern portion of the inner (â€upperâ€) garden as seen from the Shisendo. Built by samurai Ishikawa Jozan (1583-1672) beginning in 1636. He bacame a scholar and based Shisendo on retreats of mid-T’ang dynasty Chinese poets and scholars.
