31. Interior Ministry, Chugoku and Shikoku Public Works Branch Office Staff Monument
Construction, the work of pride,
Turned to destruction, demolition of buildings.
What chagrin it must have been.
“Little Boy” exploded above you.
The construction for peace,
This, I would take, is your will.
Explanation
After having ceased to serve as the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall in March, 1944, this building, now the A-bomb Dome, accommodated national and prefectural companies controlling various commodities, as well as the Chugoku/Shikoku Public Works Branch Office. This monument honors 52 office staff members of the Interior Ministry' s Chugoku/Shikoku Public Works Branch.
The offered Tanka poem is inscribed on the monument, which reads:
People who became victims of the A-bombing
Are the foundation stones for a peaceful world.
Location : Ote-machi, Naka-ku