JAPAN TRAVEL GUIDE

　This cenotaph was designed in 1952 by Kenzo Tange, then professor at the University of Tokyo, with a wish to reconstruct Hiroshima, the city destroyed by the world's first atomic bombing, as a city of peace.
   The roof was designed in the shape of a Japanese ancient clay house with a desire to shelter the souls of the victims from the rain.
   The monument is inscribed with the words, "Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil." The stone chamber at the center houses the registry of the names of deceased A-bomb victims, regardless of nationality. Names are added when a person related to a deceased victim makes an application. As of August 6, 2010 the registry comprises 97 volumes, including 96 volumes with 269,446 names and one with the words, "Many victims with their names unknown."




　Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum designed by Mr. Kenzo Tange, opened in 1955, aiming to convey the reality of the damage incurred by an atomic bomb to people around the world, and to contribute to the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of everlasting world peace.
   At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, Hiroshima became the world's first city destroyed by an atomic bomb. The bomb destroyed most of the city and claimed many lives. Some victims, who barely survived, also terribly suffered both mentally and physically, and many of these survivors are still suffering.
   The Peace Memorial Museum has collected and exhibited victims’ mementos and photos as well as materials that show the devastating damage caused by the A-bombing. It introduces the history of Hiroshima before and after the bombing and the situation of the nuclear age. 
   The museum also holds lectures on the experiences of the A-bombing by survivors and lends out materials for peace education.
   The museum was designated as an Important Cultural Asset of Japan in July, 2006, for the first time as post-war architecture.


　The A-bomb Dome was initially constructed in 1914 as the Hiroshima Prefecture Industrial Products Display Hall. Such European-style architecture with a grand oval-shaped copper dome towering over the center was rare, and also served as a symbol of Hiroshima in those days. The hall also played a role as a museum, especially when it provided a venue for the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Exhibition, in addition to exhibiting and selling industrial products, and was renamed the "Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall" in 1933. On August 6, 1945, the hall was exposed to the atomic bombing at close range of only 160 m. Since the blast hit the dome in a nearly vertical direction, some of the walls were spared from destruction. The A-bomb Dome, which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, has conveyed the importance of the abolition of nuclear weapons and everlasting world peace by maintaining its unchanged appearance from the time of the A-bombing.