Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Nagasaki: Let There Be Peace On Earth...

On Sunday, we slept in a little, checked out of the hotel, walked along the bay through parks, and then caught a streetcar to the area where the atomic bomb occurred.

 



The Peace Walking Tour is divided into three zones: The Prayer Zone (hypocenter), The Education Zone (Atomic Bomb Museum and surrounding area), and The Zone of Hope (Peace Park and other commemorative monuments).


Stop 1: Atomic Bombing Hypocenter--The Prayer Zone
The atomic bomb exploded on August 9, 1945 approx 500 meters above a monolith that is now on the ground. A list of the names of most of the victims is kept in a stone box in front of the monolith. The whole area within 2.5 kilometers of this hypocenter was completely destroyed and reduced to ruins. Surrounding the Hypocenter are many monuments including the Monument to Korean victims of the atomic bombing (Many Koreans were forcibly brought to Japan and then killed by the bomb while engaged in hard labor.), statue of a child praying for peace (Over 10,000 school children died in the bombing. This statue symbolizes eternal peace for humanity and was built with donations from children across Japan who wanted to express their desire for peace.), The Nagasaki Pledge Flame (This was presented to Nagasaki by the government of Greece in 1983. It was from the flame in Olympia, Greece and is relit on the 9th of every month and on special occasions.), cherry trees from Washington, D.C., and Mothers and Children for Peace statue. There is also an area near the hypocenter where people preserved the soil from the bombing. There are soil layers of ground level at the time of the atomic bombing. The soil contains fragments of roof tiles, bricks, scorched soil, melted glass, and other objects damaged in the explosion. It is preserved in order to tell of the atrocity of the atomic bombing and is quite eery.

monolith at the hypocenter


Stop 2: Peace Park--The Zone of Hope
We had a picnic lunch on a bench in the middle of Peace Park while looking at The Fountain of Peace (forms wings of peace as it sprays) at one end of the park and the Peace Statue at the other end. There are many monuments in between as well as paper crane towers that are offered as prayers for eternal peace for the world.

The Fountain of Peace


The World Peace Symbol Zone in the middle of the park was established to make a strong appeal to the world for everlasting peace under the pledge of: "Peace for Nagasaki" and to make Nagasaki a sacred place for world peace by displaying peace monuments donated from all over the world (China, Germany, the former Czechoslovakia, former U.S.S.R., Bulgaria, Brazil, Cuba, Turkey, Minnesota, Argentina, the Netherlands, Portugal, Poland, Italy, and New Zealand).

one of the many statues in Peace Park

The Peace Statue is huge (9.7 meters high) and was built by Seibo Kitamura, a renowned sculptor from Nagasaki Prefecture.  It is a prayer for everlasting world peace and a symbol of the supreme hope of human beings.  It was unveiled in 1955 for the 1oth anniversary of the atomic bombing.  The construction of the statue took five years and was made possible by donations from people in Japan and across the world.  It is a highly symbolic statue.  The right hand points skyward to warn of the threat of nuclear bombs.  The left hand stretches out horizontally to symbolize world peace.  The lightly closed eyes represent a prayer for the repose of the souls of all atomic bomb victims.   


The Peace Statue with high school group getting ready to present peace cranes.

Tim and I were lucky enough to get to see a group of what we think were high schoolers.  They were a fairly large group of students that came to present their paper crane towers to the park.  One student hung the cranes while the other students and teachers observed quietly.  It looked to us as if there were public officials present as well.  It was very moving to see.

paper crane towers


Stop 3: Urakami Cathedral
The original Urakami Cathedral or St. Mary's Cathedral was completed in 1925 after 30 years of hard work.  Once the largest church in Eastern Asia, it was destroyed by the atomic bomb and was rebuilt in 1959.  The remains of the original church are now on the grounds of the park where the Hypocenter is.  The church is a symbol of persecution and suffering of Christians in Nagasaki.  Back in the 1800s, the ruler of Japan made Christianity illegal and killed many Christians. 

Many artifacts were found after the bombing including a statue of Mary.  She was able to withstand the atomic bomb and is called the "Bombed Mary."  The statue is housed in the new church.

 Urakami Cathedral
 
"Bombed Mary"
 

Stop 4: Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum--The Education Zone
While small, the impact of this museum was quite large!  I knew a minimal amount about the atomic bomb until this weekend.  Now I know a lot more and still have so many questions as to why this bomb was ever dropped.  Horrific is a word that can't begin to describe the devastation. 


The museum was built in 1996 as part of the 50th anniversary project for the atomic bombing.  The museum houses artifacts related to the bombing and photographs that depict the devastation.  It also gives the history of the development of nuclear arms and the paper cranes beg for peace.  There are painful testimonies from survivors of the atomic bomb as well as family members of victims.

Several artifacts still stick out in my mind.  There was a clock that was stopped at 11:02, the time of the explosion.  It was found in a home 800 meters away from the hypocenter and was shattered by the blast.  


A 14 year old school girl's lunch box with charred rice was found 700 meters from the hypocenter.  She was probably playing peacefully since school was not in session at the time.  


A family of six was torn apart by the bomb.  The mother was out of town and the father was at work when they heard about and felt the explosion.  The father rushed home to check on their four children and all he found was a small part of mud that had been fused together into a rock.  The bomb tore this family apart and it just sends chills throughout my body.  


Stop 5:  Nagasaki National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims
This Memorial Hall was built in 2003 as a place to pay respects to the sacrifice of all those who perished in the atomic bombing and to offer prayers for everlasting peace.  The three major functions of the hall are the commemoration of atomic bomb victims, the collection of materials and information related to the bombing and to provide information on international cooperation and exchange.

The route for remembrance includes the library, the Remembrance Hall Anteroom, the Remembrance Hall and two Peace Information Corners. 

You are supposed to relax your mind in the Remembrance Hall Anteroom before entering the Remembrance Hall.  It's almost impossible to relax your mind as names and faces of victims are flashed in front of your face.
 
Pray for peace and eternal rest for the souls of all those who perished in the atomic bombings in the Remembrance Hall which consists of 13 towers.  On the registry shelf at the front, a list of names of atomic bomb victims is kept. When standing in the front of the shelf, we were facing the hypocenter.

  Not a good picture because I was reprimanded by a Japanese security guard for taking pictures...

One Peace Information Corner houses testimonies of bombing victims as well as a question/answer section.  The second Info Corner provides cards and computers to write and draw messages of peace to leave behind.  Tim and I each left a computerized message that can be accessed for 10 years by visitors!

  Tim writing his peace message.

On the upper level outdoors, there is a sculpted basin which holds water that the atomic bomb victims desperately needed and begged for.  At night, the basin is lit up with 70,000 tiny lights to mourn the victims.


You may ask why this is called the Peace Tour.  You may also probably wonder if Japan hates America for what we did.  When Tim and I returned to Fukuoka, I was asked numerous times if we felt uncomfortable as Americans in Nagasaki.  The answer is NO!  What Nagasaki (and Hiroshima) experienced was pure Hell and it was very depressing and upsetting to see the artifacts/photographs and listen to the testimonies.  However, Nagasaki is all about learning from this experience and making Nagasaki and the world a peaceful place.  The Peace Park, the Atomic Bomb Museum, and the Memorial Hall are all about remembering the victims but moving on to promote peace.  
 
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me...and you! 
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