祈りから繼承へ、平和モニュメントの役割の變容―廣島平和記念公園、舊中島本町のモニュメントをめぐって― = From prayer to inheritance, the transformation of the role of the peace monument: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, On monuments of the old Nakajima-hon-machi

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Before the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945, a prominent business district known as Nakajima-hon-machi was located in the northern part of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, which consisted of several downtowns. In this article we will consider the process of shift in the role of the Peace Monument through time by primarily focusing on the monument built by the former residents of Nakajima-hon-machi who suffered damage from the devastating atomic bombing. In 1956, the residents of Nakajima-hon-machi built a monument named “Peace Kannon” in the shape of a pedestal with the name of the city carved on it, in order to keep the memories of Nakajima-hon-machi and to mourn its inhabitants perished from the atomic bomb. The network of residents has remained active due to the memorial services that have been held as a result of the construction of the Peace Kannon. In 1966, when the movement for restoration of according tothe old city map took place, the network of former residents of Nakajima-hon-machi played an important role in that process. In addition, several monuments conveying the essence of Nakajima-hon-machi such as the Map Restoration Monument and the Atomic Bomb Victims Memorial were built. Buddhist monuments were important at the time when construction began for creating a place to pray. However, as time passed, monuments carrying specific information came into demand. With the addition of multiple monuments, the Kannon statue where the former residents of Nakashimoto-machi devote their prayers was placed in the center of the former town, telling the truth of the atomic disaster to the people visiting the Peace Memorial Park. Peace monuments are regarded as emphasizing “a space of prayer” for the perished, but as time passes “prayers” penetrate into “succession of memories”. In other words, the roles required for peace monuments change in a multilayered manner over time.