7. Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound
Bodies fortunate to be carried to the grounds of the ruined Jisenji Temple
Formed a mound.
Those deceased, unable to see their waiting families,
Resting here deeply sad,
Have been long anxious to return home.
Explanation
Shortly after the A-bombing, the precinct of Jisen-ji Temple, which was located close to the hypocenter and is presently near the mound, turned into a temporary crematory. Innumerable dead bodies sorrowful to see, whose names, ages, sex were barely known, were brought in and cremated there. The following year, the Hiroshima Society for Praying for the War Dead was organized, and a temporary wooden grave marker was built in May, and a temporary charnel house and a temporary chapel in July, with money contributed by citizens. The mound now houses several tens of thousands of ashes, which have been waiting for their families and relatives to come for them.
On the tenth anniversary of the A-bombing, Hiroshima City took the lead to build the present mound with a vault under the ground, gathering the ashes which had been kept at different places of the city.
Around August 6th, prayers are offered here not only by the Hiroshima Society for Praying for the War Dead but different religions and sects from the Hiroshima Religious Federation.
In August 2005, an information board was newly erected in front of the mound, which lists when and how those ashes were placed.
Location : Peace Memorial Park, Naka-ku