The Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims, also known as the Memorial Cenotaph, is a simple and evocative monument in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The monument consists of a sculptural concrete arch covering a cenotaph, or empty tomb. This stone tomb holds an ever-growing registry of the known names of people killed by the city’s atomic bomb, either in the blast or from the following radiation.
Visit the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims while spending time in the park, which was constructed as a memorial devoted to peace after the tragic events of August 6, 1945. The Memorial Cenotaph was one of the first commemorations to be built on the leveled atomic hypocenter area in 1952. Wander through the tranquil park to its center, a long concrete pond. At one end you’ll find the Peace Flame and at the other the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims.
Standing in front of the monument, you’ll see a tall, concrete arch. The park’s architect Kenzo Tange intended the saddle-shaped arch to protect the souls of the victims listed on the cenotaph, but also designed it to frame the Peace Flame and the ruins of the A-Bomb Dome in the distance.
The cenotaph contains an epitaph, which can be translated to: “Let all the souls here rest in peace For we shall not repeat the evil.” The registry lists more than 297,000 names of victims from Japan and elsewhere. New names are routinely added as more people die from radiation-related afflictions. The monument is regularly wreathed with flowers and services are held here each year on the anniversary of the bomb.
Visit the Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims for free at any time of the day. Spend some time here reflecting on the tragic events and Hiroshima’s message of peace when you visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Nearby, you can also see the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Children’s Peace Monument and the A-Bomb Dome, the only building that was left standing at the bomb’s devastating hypocenter.
