Hiroshima Album
Hiroshima & Miyajima
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The main reason I wanted to visit Hiroshima was to see the annual memorial ceremony at Peace Park on the anniversary of the A-bomb explosion, August 6. It proved to be an emotional experience from the very first sight to greet me, the remains of the Industrial Promotion Hall, which has come to be known as the A-bomb Dome and was recently declared an historic site by the United Nations.
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The A-bomb Museum
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Sadako Sasaki was only 2 years old when the A-bomb exploded. When she was 11 she developed "A-bomb disease", leukemia.She remembered the old folk tale that if one is ill and makes 1000 paper cranes, one will get well. She made over 1500 before she died on October 25, 1955.
Children from all over Japan sent coins for a memorial to the 56,000+ chidren who died from the bomb. The coins were melted and formed into the shape of a paper crane in Sadako's memory.
This was the most popular memorial in the Park, and there were thousands of paper cranes draped everywhere nearby, brought, and sent, by children all over Japan and the world.
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On my second visit I saw this scene, a group of elementary schoolchildren being taught the horrors of the bomb by a survivor, here an 'obahsan'-- a grandmother or elder woman.
As appropriate as this was, the Korean memorial was an example of Japan's inappropriate behavior toward Koreans and other Asians living in Japan. The memorial to the Koreans who lost their lives to the A-bomb was not allowed to be placed inside the Park, but had to be situated across the river. I was pleased to hear that Hiroshima's government had finally granted permission for this memorial to be resituated inside the Park.
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The only expressions of animosity toward the United States were the demonstrations against the Defense Treaty which gives permission for the U.S. to have troops stationed at bases in Japan. So in reality, these demonstrations were actually against the Japanese government and the weapons brought to Japanese soil by U.S. planes and ships. I heard nothing, on either trip, against the U.S. for dropping the bomb. Most Japanese consider that to have been the fault of their own government and military who led Japan into the war.
The images below are examples of what could be seen throughout the Park and better represent the view of those whom I saw and met.
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My favorite street was Heiwa Odori Avenue, a graceful tree lined boulevard with winding sidewalks beautifully landscaped. A prominent feature is the many stone lanterns, each donated by a different prefecture (state) and from different eras in Japan's history.
The one at the right is a nice example. The etched stone sign provides infomation.
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"A-bombed tree Kurogane holly"
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The Museum of Contmporary Art
is a beautiful complex atop
Mt. Hijiyama. The grounds are
filled with modern sculpture,
and the buildings themselves
are excellent examples of
modern architecture.
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Perhaps the most striking, and moving, exhibit is this assemblage of praying figures, charred into immortality by the Abomb. This work was inspired by photos of real figures like these, and of shadows burned into walls by the intensity of the blast. The figures are facing the epicenter of the explosion.
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I had already visited one of the Nihon Sankai, Japan's "three most beautiful sights" (the Japanese love to make lists). That was Matsushima, north of Sendai, when I was with the Takahashi and Suzuki families. Here, I had the chance to see another, the Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island, about 45 minutes West of Hiroshima along the Inland Sea. Built on stilts in a small protected harbor, its huge vermillion torii--gate--stands out from the shore as a beautiful, majestic, symbolic entrance.
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On my first visit the tide was in, but when I was there in '98 the tide was out and I was able to walk on the sand to touch the Torii. This one was built in 1895 and they were raising money to replace it before it rotted from the sea.
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I had a guide on the second trip, Miwa Takahashi. She is a former student of my friends, Keiko and Bay. Here is Miwa with her friend, Akio Watanabe, caretaker of a temple at the top of one of the mountains on Miyajima island. It's a branch of the main temple situated at the foot of the mountain.
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To the right above is the entrance to one of the altars at the main temple,
and below is the view from Watanabe-san's living room where we all had lunch.
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After we climbed down the mountain and explored some of the museums on the island, Miwa took me to a very nice restaurant, overlooking the town, where we had an elegant meal in the kansai style -- eight formal dishes, each one beautifully presented. In Japan, presentation is considered an art in itself, and an essential part of the meal.
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Perhaps the most remarkable man I met in the entire trip was Uno Sakae. His job was to teach school groups, tourists, and others about the traditional culture of Japan. Central to that culture is Noh, classical Japanese theater. Uno-san built a formal Noh stage in an addition to his house. The pine tree is a symbol on all Noh stages, and the shape varies by region of the country. This is Hiroshima's version. He also showed us pottery from local kilns, and much of it had the same tree baked in.
He also took me to several temples where he would knock on a door off to the side of the main altar and we would be admitted to the head priest's quarters where we'd have tea. It was quite a fascinating afternoon.
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