Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony is an annual Japanese vigil.

Every August 6, "A-Bomb Day", the city of Hiroshima holds the Peace Memorial Ceremony to console the victims of the atomic bombs and to pray for the realization of lasting world peace. The ceremony is held in front of the Memorial Cenotaph in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Participants include the families of the deceased and people from all over the world.

Contents of the ceremony

Satsuki Eda (President of the House of Councillors), Yōhei Kōno (President of the House of Representatives) and Yasuo Fukuda (Prime Minister) offered a silent prayer (August 6, 2008)

• Dedication of Water (by the citizen representatives of Hiroshima), accompanied (since 1975) by the music "Prayer Music No. 1: Dirge" by Hibakusha^[1] composer Masaru Kawasaki^[2][3]
• Opening
• Dedication of the Register of the Names of the Fallen Atomic Bomb Victims
• Address
• Dedication of flowers
• Silent Prayer and Peace Bell (for one minute from 8:15am)
  • The bell is rung by one representative of bereaved families and one representative of children
• Peace Declaration (by Mayor of Hiroshima)
• Release of Doves
• Commitment to Peace (by Children's representatives)
• Addresses (by Prime Minister of Japan and other visitors)
• Hiroshima Peace Song, with music by Minoru Yamamoto and lyrics by Yoshio Shigezono
• Closing

See also

• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
• Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Hiroshima Witness

References

1. "神奈川・川崎優さん〈核といのちを考える　遺す〉". 朝日新聞デジタル.
2. "Composer continues to honor victims of Hiroshima". Colorado Springs Gazette.
3. "Memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki - The Asahi Shimbun". asahi.com.

External links

• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony
• Peace Declarations
• Hiroshima Peace Camp 2011
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony 2009
  Offering of water, 5,635 founded names adding to the list of the victims, and now it's 263,945 in total.
  Offering of flowers, and one minute of silence for the victims
  Peace Declaration by Mayor of Hiroshima
  Commitment to Peace by students
  Addresses by Prime Minister of Japan, by Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture
  by president of the United Nations General Assembly, by the Secretary-General of the United Nations
  Chorus of a peace song of Hiroshima