The Cenotaph in the Park

A Memorial for Victims

Architect Kenzo Tange designed the Hiroshima cenotaph so that it mimicked a house-shaped haniwa. Haniwa are pre-historic Japanese clay sculptures that were frequently used in funerary practices.

House-shaped haniwa from Takarazuka Kofun in Matsusaka, Mie Prefecture, c. 5th century 

The cenotaph’s arch-shaped roof protects a stone chest, which holds books with the names of people who died as a result of the atomic bomb. First built in 1952, the cenotaph has since been restored. The cenotaph also encloses the Peace Flame, a sacred fire that has burned since it was first lit August 1st, 1964. Peace activists aim to keep the flame burning until all nuclear weapons are eradicated from the world. 

The chest under the cenotaph represents a coffin-like memorial for the victims. A message carved on its front in Japanese reads, in English, 'Let all the souls here rest in peace / For we shall not repeat the evil.' The names of recently deceased bomb victims—many of whom died from cancers caused by the bomb’s radiation—are continually added. On August 6th, 2024, the chest contained 128 books with 344,306 names.  

Dual Designers

Kenzo Tange, the cenotaph’s designer, also planned the Hiroshima Peace Park and the Peace Memorial Museum. Tange hoped that his friend, fellow designer Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988), would be allowed to design the cenotaph, but Noguchi’s proposal was rejected by the selection committee. Noguchi’s design may have been rejected because the artist was a dual Japanese-American citizen who had spent much of his life abroad. Alternatively, the committee may have refused Noguchi’s design because they hoped that Tange—who had won the initial design competition—would create a cohesive plan for the Peace Park. Noguchi’s design also likely would have blocked the view of the Genbaku Dome. Tange ultimately paid tribute to Noguchi in his design as he used the arch shape that his friend had recommended.