Symbol of Eternal Peace
- Mar 11, 2017
- 5 min read
Location:
Hiroshima, Japan
To say we are loving all these bullet trains is an understatement. Getting from A to B quicker than you can ever imagine really takes the hassle out of travelling! All you need to worry about is catching the train in good time. Walking through the station at Hiroshima, a volunteer who was there to help tourists with any questions they may have, offered his assistance to us. He walked us to the main entrance and directed us to our hostel, ‘Backpackers Hostel K’s House Hiroshima.’ Arriving early meant we couldn’t check in for another few hours. Not much of a problem except when you only have a less than a day to explore, we didn’t want to waste any more time, so we left our stuff at reception before exploring a city that has a very chilling past!
They say in the space of 24 hours, the world changed forever. Was it an act of pure dominant power, bullying tactics, or a shear lack of the value of life? Whatever words you want to use to describe a government that caused complete terror, is something that was never justified and shall never be justified! War can bring terrible things with it, but to take it ten steps further and cause utmost destruction on civilian life, that is something that must never be forgotten. While the atrocities of the 9/11 attacks caused complete terror to the world, the morning of August 6th 1945 is the day that went down in history as the day the American government authorised the world’s first atomic bomb to be dropped on the innocent people of Hiroshima.
As soon as it was dropped, a huge fire ball reaction engulfed the entire city, destroying everything in its path. What makes it even more inhumane is that the exact spot where the ‘American B-29 Bomber’ dropped the bomb is in very close proximity to the city’s hospital where just some of the city’s more vulnerable citizens were located. The act against humanity is responsible for killing 70,000 lives.’ As the year came to a close, this number rose considerably to between 90,000 and 166,000, due to injury and radiation. Of course, the true number will never be known. Even many years after the horrific events of that day, the people of Hiroshima were still suffering the effects of that dark day.
Sadako Sasaki was only two when a weapon of mass destruction was dropped on the city. Sadako was in her house with her mother when the explosion took place. While she was thrown out the window, unusually, her mother could not find any apparent injuries on her baby girl. While trying to leave the area, herself and her family got caught up in the black rain shower, killing her grandmother. In late 1954, Sadako began to develop swellings on her neck and behind her ears. Two months later, red and purple spots began to form on her legs, a condition known as ‘Purpura.’ Not long after this, she was diagnosed with ‘Acute Malignant Lymph Gland Leukaemia’ and was given a year to live.
In the autumn of the following year, Sadako was put into a room with a child, some two years older than herself, who told her the Japanese legend that promises a wish to anyone who folds one thousand origami cranes. Despite the lack of paper, Sadako used anything she could find. It is believed that by the time of her death, she only managed to fold 644, however, her classmates made an extra 1000 brightly coloured cranes that were buried with her.
A memorial to Sadako holding a peace crane was unveiled in 1958 at the ‘Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park,’ with a sign that reads ‘This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace in the world.’ A statue of the heroine lies also in the ‘Seattle Peace Park,’ however, it has been vandalised more than once in recent times. On August 6th, people across the entire country of Japan celebrate ‘Peace Day’ in dedication to Sadako, the brave girl that wished for eternal peace.
In 1949, plans for the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park with the ‘Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall,’ later known as the ‘A-Bomb Dome’ is the closest surviving building to where the bomb was dropped playing centre stage to the plans for the memorial. It was unclear if this building should be pulled down or whether it should remain. The latter option was decided upon as it is seen as a reminder of the destruction nuclear weapons can cause. That same year, the Japanese parliament declared Hiroshima a ‘City of Peace.’ In 1955, the ‘Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum’ was officially opened to tell the story of that particular day and the years following it.
It is not until you visit the park that you begin to realise how nearly everything has been designed to run in a linear fashion. At one end is the A-Bomb Dome, followed by the ‘Peace Flame.’ Since 1964, the flame has continued to burn and will continue to do so until all nuclear weapons are destroyed and the threat of nuclear annihilation is no more. Through the centre of the flame is the dome on one side and the ‘Pond of Peace followed by the ‘Memorial Cenotaph’ on the other. The monument which is one of the original memorials dating back to August 6th 1952 is an arch shape, offering a shelter for the souls of the victims. An epitaph that reads in English ‘Please rest in peace for [we/they] shall not repeat the error,’ which lies at the cenotaph. It has not been written to put blame at any particular country or group but rather refers to all ‘Humanity’ and the ‘Evil of War,’ depicted as the ‘Error’ in the message. The cenotaph not only frames the Peace Flame and A-Bomb Dome but also the ‘Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum’ that rests on stilts so not to distract from an open view running from one end of the park, to the other. The memorial park is a beautiful tribute to the destruction of such a bomb can do and a lasting reminder of such!
After a few hours revisiting the evils of mankind, we went for food in a restaurant recommended by our hostel. The place proved to be very popular as there was a bit of a wait with people queuing outside. I guess that is a good sign! What was very unlike the Japanese is how they mistook my order for something else, which resulted in the dish being free. Usually the Japanese are very well organised and in complete control. They make the Germans look unorganised, which says it all!
While the actions of humanity and the destruction ‘We’ can cause is evident around the world, there is nowhere where it is more visible than in Hiroshima. The years may have passed since that horrific day, but for the people of Hiroshima, the horror and pain continues. It may be 2017, but unfortunately the lessons learnt have fallen on deaf ears for we live in a world of leaders that still see an arsenal of nuclear weapons as true power that outweighs the value of life and the destruction of our planet.
By Andrew
Dedicated to the people of Hiroshima
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