A Tribute of Light and Peace
Each year on August 6th, the residents of Hiroshima participate in a traditional lantern floating ceremony, called toro nagashi in Japanese. While toro nagashi is observed throughout Japan during the mid-August obon period—when many Japanese people believe that the spirits of ancestors return to visit their families—Hiroshima’s toro nagashi holds unique historical and emotional significance.
First begun in 1947, two years after the atomic bomb was dropped, Hiroshima’s toro nagashi is a tribute to the millions of Japanese lives lost during World War Two. On August 6th, the Motoyasu river, once a gravesite for thousands who leapt into its waters in a desperate attempt to escape the bomb's inferno, is lit by around 8,000 lanterns, which are released into the water and drift along its length. The lanterns are inscribed with messages of peace and unity by Hiroshima residents and visitors alike, conveying hope for global peace.
The Motoyasu River runs along the A-Bomb Dome
Thousands of paper lanterns are afloat on the river, calling for global peace and unity
While the lantern ceremony runs from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, the commemorations for Hiroshima Day begin much earlier. At precisely 8:15 am—the moment the atomic bomb was deployed by the Enola Gay—the city falls silent. Air raid sirens wail, the Peace Bell tolls, and for one solemn minute, life across Hiroshima comes to a halt. In homes, offices, schools, and on the streets, people pause in remembrance of August 6, 1945.
Later in the day, the mayor of Hiroshima reads the Peace Declaration. This statement expresses the city of Hiroshima's strong desire for global peace, unity, and compassion, and the city's dedication to fighting against nuclear war.
Hiroshima’s message of peace has resonated far beyond Japan’s borders. In the immediate aftermath of the bombing, the unimaginable scale of destruction quickly turned the initial relief with the end of the war into a global mobilisation for aid and recovery.
Alongside the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, many religious spaces serve as spaces of remembrance. The Memorial Cathedral for World Peace (Nobori-machi Catholic Church) was constructed in 1950 and opened August 6, 1954. The effort was spearheaded by hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) Father Lassalle Enomiya and funded by donations from Pope Pius XII. The cathedral was designed by Togo Murano and was designated Important Cultural Property after World War II.
Memorial Cathedral for World Peace (Assumption of Mary Cathedral)
On August 6th, 1967, the Hiroshima Tree was planted in Tavistock Square, London by Alderman Mrs Millie Miller, J.P, the Mayor of Camden, to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the bombing. Now a mature cherry blossom tree, it serves as a living remembrance to the victims of the nuclear attack. Cherry blossoms are deeply symbolic in Japanese culture, representing fleeting beauty and renewal. The annual flowering of the tree mirrors the resilience of the people of Hiroshima, who rebuilt their city and dedicated their lives to peace
In 2012, the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire unveiled the Hiroshima Stone, a ruin recovered from the city in 1945, in the arboretum's Anglo-Japan garden. Ninety-four-year-old George Reynolds, a former prisoner of war of the Japanese who attended the event, explained that: 'The two sides were enemies but not now, and this [memorial] is a good idea to bring people together in harmony, not hate.'
Hiroshima Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
Celebrations of Hiroshima Day are more than just rituals. They serve as powerful reminders of the enduring impact of the war and carry a powerful message for unity.