Unlike some of the other castles in Japan which are built on hills, the Hiroshima Castle is built fairly close to ground level. The castle was originally constructed in the 1590s, got destroyed by the atomic bomb blast on 6 August 1945 – the castle is just one kilometer from the blast epicenter – then rebuilt in 1958. I’d originally intended to go inside the castle, but the knees did not budge and the thought of climbing up and down more stairs was unappealing. So, I had to suffice by just exploring the outside and taking pictures.
Continuing onto the Atomic Bomb Dome; about a kilometer walk away. There was an nnmistakable air of reverence among visitors here. Conversations are hushed and quiet. The bomb dropped 600m right above this building: the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, killing 140,000. But it also, arguably, set an end to a war that killed 70 million, a huge number of which were in Asia. Just parts of the Hall remain here – the actual building before the blast is a lot larger. There’s a model replica of the Hall before and after the blast to show just how much of it was demolished. The persons inside the hall that moment were instantly killed, possibly by the 35 tons of pressure/square meter exerted downwards by the blast.
The hall also has support structures in place to keep the remaining walls from further deteriorating and crumbling.
Summary: Hiroshima Castle looks awesome from the outside, so even if you don’t want to go in, you can still explore the large exterior grounds. Visit also the Atomic Bomb Dome and in a sense, be also amazed that this much of the building survived while the rest of the city was leveled instantly.
Next post on the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
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