| Description |
This photo of the O-torii Gate of Hiroshima Gokoku Shrine was taken facing north. The stone lanterns, stone guardian dogs on either side of the gate, and the stone marker remained standing. The shrine's O-torii Gate stands facing a streetcar line. Although it was close to the hypocenter, the gate did not fall over because the bomb's blast hit it directly from above. The plaque on the south side also remained standing. This torii gate and the plaque still exist at the back gate on the east side of Hiroshima Castle. The plaque was one of the designated “Ten Views of the Atomic Bombing” after the bombing. Hiroshima Gokoku Shrine was established in the precinct of Hiroshima Nigitsu Shrine in 1868 by Asano Nagakoto, feudal lord of the Hiroshima domain, to comfort the souls of soldiers who died in the Japanese Civil War. It was originally called Mizukusa Reisha, but the name was changed to Shokonsha (Shinto shrine dedicated to the spirits of the war dead) by decree of the Grand Council of State in 1875. In 1934, the shrine was relocated to the west end of the Hiroshima Western Drill Ground in the Motomachi area. In 1939, the shrine was renamed Hiroshima Gokoku Shrine. The shrine was severely damaged in the bombing, and its main building was burned to the ground. A temporary shrine was erected in August 1947. |
