“Hiroshima after the bomb” by [Maarten Heerlien] is licensed under CC BY 2.

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What Is Hiroshima Peace Memorial Day?
On August 6, 1945, the United States armed
forces detonated an atomic nuclear weapon
over Hiroshima, Japan. This was a
catastrophic event; killing hundreds of
thousands of people, most of whom were
Japanese civilians.
Every year on this date, the people of Japan
remember and commemorate the lives that
were lost. This day is known as “A-Bomb
Day”, when the city of Hiroshima holds the
Peace Memorial Ceremony to pray for the
victims and for the realization of world
peace. The first ceremony was held in 1947,
by Shinzo Hamai, the Mayor of Hiroshima.

“Hiroshima after the bomb” by [Maarten Heerlien] is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Where Is It Held?
The Peace Memorial Ceremony is held in
the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which
is located near the epicenter where the
atomic bomb was detonated. It was
constructed in an open space created by the
explosion.

The park contains a number of different

memorials and monuments, each
dedicated to the memories of the victims
of the attack. It is visited by more than
one million people each year.

“Hiroshima after the bomb” by [Maarten Heerlien] is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 Hiroshima Memorial Peace Day
Every year, the ceremony follows the schedule below
(commencing at 8am):

Dedication of Water, accompanied by the music “Prayer

1
Music Number 1: Dirge” by composer Masaru Kawasaki.

Opening 2

Dedication of the Register of the Names of the Fallen

3
Atomic Bomb Victims.

“Hiroshima after the bomb” by [Maarten Heerlien] is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 Hiroshima Memorial Peace Day
Every year, the ceremony follows the schedule below
(commencing at 8am):

Address 4

Dedication of flowers. 5

Silent Prayer and Peace Bell (for one minute from 8:15am)
The bell is rung by one representative of bereaved families 6
and one representative of children.

“Hiroshima after the bomb” by [Maarten Heerlien] is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 Hiroshima Memorial Peace Day
Every year, the ceremony follows the schedule below
(commencing at 8am):

Peace Declaration 7

Release of Doves 8

Commitment to Peace (by Children's representatives) 9

“Hiroshima after the bomb” by [Maarten Heerlien] is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 Hiroshima Memorial Peace Day
Every year, the ceremony follows the schedule below
(commencing at 8am):

Public Addresses (by the Prime Minister of Japan and

10
any other visitors)

Hiroshima Peace Song 11

Closing 12

“Hiroshima after the bomb” by [Maarten Heerlien] is licensed under CC BY 2.0

 Hiroshima Peace Memorial Day

In the evening, there is a lantern ceremony held to send off the spirits of the
victims. Each lantern is inscribed with messages of peace and placed on the
Motoyasu River, which runs near the epicentre of the attack and alongside the
Peace Memorial Park.

“Hiroshima after the bomb” “Hiroshima Lantern Festival” by [Maarten Heerlien] [Richard Riley] is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
There are many different buildings,
memorials and museums spread around
the grounds of the Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Park.
People from all over the world are able
to visit and surround themselves with
both modern and historical artefacts
which pay tribute to the victims and their
families.
Some of these memorials include the A-
Bomb Dome, The Children’s Peace
Monument, The Hiroshima Peace
Memorial Museum, The Memorial
Cenotaph and the Peace Bells.

“Hiroshima after the bomb” “Children’s Memorial, Hiroshima Peace Park” “Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima” by [Maarten Heerlien] [Ruth Hartnup] [Ankur Panchbudhe] is licensed under CC BY 2.0
 A-Bomb Dome
The A-Bomb Dome is the name given to
the ruins of the former Hiroshima
Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. It
stands along the banks of the Motoyasu
River and is the closest building that
remained partially intact near to where
the atomic bomb was detonated. It was
added to the UNESCO World Heritage
List on December 7, 1996; standing
exactly as it was after the bombing in
memory of the victims.

“Hiroshima after the bomb” “49483-Hiroshima” by [Maarten Heerlien] [xiquinhosilva] is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The Children’s Peace Monument
The Children’s Peace Monument stands to recognise
the thousands of children that died as a direct or
indirect result of the explosion. It contains a statue of
a girl, based on the true story of Sadako Sasaki,
holding her arms outstretched while a paper crane
flies above her.
Sadako Sasaki was known for folding over 1,000
paper cranes after being diagnosed with leukemia, in
an attempt to heal herself according to Japanese
ancient legend. She died from her illness; however, to
this day, children around the world still remember her
by sending thousands of paper cranes to Hiroshima
which are placed in glass cabinets beside the statue.

“Hiroshima after the bomb” “ Folded Cranes” “Children’s Peace Monument at Peace memorial Park” by [Maarten Heerlien] [Aaron Logan] is licensed under CC BY 2.0
 Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is the focal museum in the park,
containing exhibits and information around World War II, the bombing and its
impact on Hiroshima, historical artefacts, photographs and messages of support
encouraging the abolishment of nuclear weaponry.

“Hiroshima after the bomb” “Peace Memorial Museum, Hiroshima” “Hiroshima Peace Memorial (26)” by [Maarten Heerlien] [Alvin Leong] [José María Mateos] is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Memorial Cenotaph
The Memorial Cenotaph was one of the first
monuments constructed in the Peace Park,
unveiled on August 6, 1952. It contains all of
the names of the victims killed by the bomb
and is located near the centre of the park. It is
built in the shape of an arch; symbolising a
shelter for the souls of the people who lost their
lives in the attack.
Beneath the arch, there is a flame which has
burned continuously since 1964 in
remembrance of the victims. The Peace Flame
not only symbolises the lives of the innocent,
but will remain alight until all nuclear bombs
on the planet are destroyed.

“Hiroshima after the bomb” “hiroshima peace park” by [Maarten Heerlien] [Daniel Ng] is licensed under CC BY 2.0
 Peace Bells
There are three bells in the Peace Memorial Park.

The smallest one is rung at 8:15am on Hiroshima Peace Memorial Day, in memory
of the moment that the atomic bomb was detonated.

The larger bell, located near the

Children’s Peace Monument,
was built in 1964. It can be
heard often throughout the park,
as visitors are encouraged to
ring it to wish for peace
throughout the world.

“Hiroshima after the bomb” “Ringing the bell” by [Maarten Heerlien] [Kevin Jones] is licensed under CC BY 2.0