| Description |
Looking north from the west side of the approach in front of the middle gate. Founded in 1835 by feudal lord Asano Naritaka at the western foot of Mt. Futaba, the grand wooden shrine buildings were surrounded by old pine trees and more than 100 stone lanterns in the long north-south precinct. The bomb's heat and blast caused the main shrine and karamon gate to collapse and burst into flames instantly. All but stone structures were reduced to ashes. Where the middle gate stood, there were traces of damage from the bomb's blast and ensuing high-temperature fire on the surface of the foundation and stone steps. When the karamon gate was rebuilt in 2003, these traces were left intact. In the foreground of the photo, debris is scattered throughout the shrine grounds, and the wood in the background has many dead trees, indicating the severity of the fire. One old pine tree survived the bombing on the right side of the southern precinct entrance, but it was killed by pine weevils in 2003. The roots and stump were left standing, and a roofed structure was built with the felled wood to preserve it. |
