Nagasaki Peace Park

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nagasaki Peace Park is a park located in Nagasaki, Japan, commemorating the atomic bombing of the city on August 9, 1945 during World War II.

Contents 1 History 2 Plaque 3 Peace Memorial Ceremony 4 Peace Symbols Zone 5 External links

[edit] History

Established in 1955 near the hypocentre of the explosion, remnants of a concrete wall of Nagasaki prison, which was located here prior to the bombing, can still be seen. At the park's north end is the 10-meter-tall Peace Statue created by sculptor Seibou Kitamura of Nagasaki Prefecture. The statue's right hand points to the threat of nuclear weapons while the extended left hand symbolizes eternal peace. The mild face symbolizes divine grace and the gently closed eyes offer a prayer for the repose of the bomb victims' souls. The folded right leg and extended left leg signify both meditation and the initiative to stand up and rescue the people of the world. Installed in front of the statue is a black marble vault containing the names of the atomic bomb victims and survivors who died in subsequent years.

[edit] Plaque

A plaque gives the following statistics:

Dead: 73,884
Injured: 74,909
Sufferers: 120,820
Houses burned down:11,574
Houses half-ruined, 5,509
Houses partly damaged 50,000

[edit] Peace Memorial Ceremony

Every year, on 9 August, the anniversary of the atomic bombing, a Peace Memorial Ceremony is held in front of the statue and the Mayor of Nagasaki delivers a Peace Declaration to the World.

At the south end of the park is a "Fountain of Peace". This was constructed in August, 1969, as a prayer for the repose of the souls of the many atomic bomb victims who died searching for water, and as a dedication to world peace. Lines from a poem by a girl named Sachiko Yamaguchi, who was nine at the time of the bombing, are carved on a black stone plaque in front of the fountain. It reads: "I was thirsty beyond endurance. There was something oily on the surface of the water, but I wanted water so badly that I drank it just as it was."

[edit] Peace Symbols Zone

In 1978 the city of Nagasaki established a "Peace Symbols Zone" on both sides of the park and invited donations of monuments from countries round the world. The following monuments can be seen in the park:

• "Relief of Friendship" from Porto, Portugal (Nagasaki's sister city), 1978
• "Joy of Life" from Czechoslovakia, 1980
• "A Call" from Bulgaria, 1980
• "Monument of People's Friendship" from the former German Democratic Republic, 1981
• "Protection of Our Future" from the city of Middelburg, The Netherlands (Nagasaki's sister city), 1983
• "Statue of Peace" from the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 1985
• "Maiden of Peace" from the People's Republic of China, 1985
• "Flower of Love and Peace" from Poland, 1986
• "Hymn to Life" from the City of Pistoia,Italy, 1987
• "Sun Crane of Peace" from the Republic of Cuba, 1988
• "Monument of Peace" from Santos, Brazil (Nagasaki's sister city), 1988
• "Infinity" from Ankara, Republic of Turkey, 1991
• "Constellation Earth" from St. Paul, Minnesota, USA (Nagasaki's sister city), 1992
• "Triumph of Peace over War" from the City of San Isidro, Argentina, 1996
• "Te Korowai Rangimarie - Cloak of Peace" from New Zealand, 2006.

[edit] External links