Monument of the Child Praying for Peace

 

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At the bottom of the steps leading down from the front of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum

The Monument of a Child Praying for Peace depicting a girl wearing a kimono and holding

a folded paper crane.  At that time of the atomic bombing there were several schools in

the Ground Zero area and some 10,000 school children are through to have perished in

the bombing.

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On the 20th anniversary of the atomic bombing, donations were collected widely from

children who express their wish for peace, and this statue was unveiled on August 9, 1967

and remains to this day as a symbol the aspiration for eternal peace.

 

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Kofukuji Temple

 

After the Tokugawa Shogunate banned Christianity, non-Christian Chinese merchants 

began making port at Nagasaki around 1600. Chinese people soon started living in Nagasaki

and etitioned the Nagasaki government to let them built a Chinese temple to pray for safe

navigation and console of the deceased. Permission was granted for the construction of 

first Chinese temple.

 

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Kofukuji Temple was completed in 1620, and Chinese traders then planned to invite a high-ranking

priest from China as the temple’s chief abbot. The Kofukuji Temple’s present main hall was built in 

1883 by Chinese experts who were invited to Japan mainly by residents in Nagasaki hailing from

Nanjin. It was designated as an Important Cultural Asset.

 

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Sofukuji Temple

 

The first Chinese style temple in Nagasaki. Shortly after the construction of Kofukuji Temple,

Chinese traders asked the Nagasaki governor for permission to built Chinese temples

according to their home provinces. It is recorded that this temple was built in 1629 by people 

who came from Fuzhou in Fujian Province. It is designated as a National Treasure.

 

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The existing main hall ( called Daiyuhoden ) was first prefabricated in China, then transported by

Chinese ship and constructed in 1646. As the oldest existing structure to retain the Obaku style

of the end of the Ming Dynasty, the temple’s hall is highly evaluated.

 

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Suwa Shrine

 

The complex of building and gardens comprising Suwa Shrine nestles on a shaded stretch of

hillside overlooking the heart of Nagasaki-city. The shrine was founded in the wake of ban

of Christianity in the early 17th century, and during the Edo Period it soon grew into a spiritual

and cultural hub for the citizens of Nagasaki.  During Meiji and Taisho Periods, it was not only

Nagasaki’s foremost Shinto shrine but also this city’s most popular destination for foreign tourist

who came seeking a glimpse into heart of Japan.

 

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Kunchi festival

Held from October 7 to 9 every year and is considered one of the three major festivals of

Japan, being designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Asset.

 

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St. Andrew’s Seminary at Dejima, in Nagasaki

 

After the ban on Christianity lifted in 1873, Burnside who was the British Church Missionary created

a cram school at his home to teach the English Bible. In 1877, the school was moved to the Dejima

English-Japanese School building at Dejima, and St. Andrew’s Seminary was opened.

It was then used as the Seminary until 1886.

 

 

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Sanno Shrine

 

Sanno Shrine is located approximately 800 meters away from the ground zero of Atomic bomb.

The Shrine was instantly obliterated by the explosion and the 4000 degrees Celsius heat wave

vaporized nearby trees.

The only thing that remained is the Torii gate standing on a single column, reminding us of the

tragedy that took place.

 

The surviving trees of Sanno Shrine have become another living demonstration of destruction

and re-growth. Two large camphor trees were scorched, burned and stripped of all leaves by

the Atomic bomb’s shock wave; and yet, despite everything, the trees survived.

The surviving camphor trees are now a symbol of World Peace.

 

 

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Seishin girls’ School

 

 

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Japan’s first Catholic girls’ school opened in 1891. It was relocated to a site built

in 1898. The building has now been renovated and is now Hotel Indigo Nagasaki.

The red brick structure and arched window frames remain intact, creating a nostalgic

Romanesque atmosphere.

 

 

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Atomic bomb in Nagasaki

 

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Disastrous War must not be repeated.

 

The plutonium atomic bomb exploded about 500m over the central monument

at 11:02 a.m. on August 9, 1945. 
The most part of Nagasaki was destroyed, and a tremendous number of lives were lost.  

And about 70,000 of Nagasaki’s 240,000 residents died instantly, and up to 60,000 were injured.

 

The time, Atomic bomb was exploded

Atomic bomb exploded  over the central monument

Nuked 50th Anniversary Monument

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The radius of total destruction was about 1.6km, followed by fires across the northern portion of the 

city to 3.2km south of the bomb.

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Ruin of destroyed Urakami Cathedral

Ruin of destroyed Urakami Cathedral

The one leg Torii gate at Sanno Shrine

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The total number of residents died may have been as many as 80,000, including those who died

from radiation poisoning in the following months. Even now, many atomic bomb survivors are

suffering. The list of names of the atomic bomb victim who died up to now is stored in the monument.

 

The Bell of Nagasaki

Peace Fountain

Folding paper cranes pray  for peace

 

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Damaged Torii at Sanno Shrine

 

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World Peace learning

 

Disastrous War must not be repeated

 

The plutonium atomic bomb exploded about 500m over the central monument

at 11:02 a.m. on August 9, 1945. 
The most part of Nagasaki was destroyed, and a tremendous number of lives were lost.  

And about 70,000 of Nagasaki’s 240,000 residents died instantly, and up to 60,000 were injured.

 

The time, Atomic bomb was exploded

Atomic bomb exploded over  the central monument

Nuked 50th Anniversary Monument

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Nagasaki Peace Park 

Established in 1955 near the Ground Zero where the Atomic Bomb was dropped 

at 11:02 am on Aug. 09, 1945.

 

Peace Statue

Completed in 1955, ten years after the atomic bombing

The 9.7 meter high statue sitting on a 4 meter tall pedestal, made by renown sculptor

Kitamura Seibo who born in Minami-Shimabara-city, Nagasaki-prefecture in 1884.

The raised arm points to the threat of nuclear weapons and the out-stretched arm

symbolizes peace.

Visiting from all over Japan and the World

Wishing for eternal world peace from Nagasaki

Kitamura Seibo, the Statue was completed at the age of 71

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Ground Zero

The plutonium atomic bomb exploded about 500m over the central monument at 11:02 a.m.

on August 9, 1945.   The most part of Nagasaki was destroyed, and a tremendous number of

lives were lost. And about 70,000 of Nagasaki’s 240,000 residents died instantly, and up to 60,000

were injured. 

Nuked 50th Anniversary Monument

Atomic bomb exploded over  the central monument

Ruins of destroyed Urakami Cathedral

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Atomic Bomb Museum

The museum exhibits a number of photograph that depict the devastation caused by atomic

bomb showing the lead-up to this tragic day, the history of the development of nuclear arms

and our desire for peace.

Destroyed Urakami Cathedral is displayed

Exhibits a number of photograph

Dr. Nagai Takashi

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Peace Fountain

The Peace Fountain reminds us of the tragic scene unfolded shortly after America dropped the

Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki at 11:02 am on Aug. 09, 1945