Peace Bridge railing is vandalized with graffiti
May 5, 2019
by Kazuo Murakami, Staff Writer
On May 4, it was found that the north-side railing of the Peace Bridge, located in Naka Ward, Hiroshima, had been sprayed with graffiti. The railings of the Peace Bridge were designed by world-renowned sculptor Isamu Noguchi. Suspecting vandalism, the Hiroshima prefectural police are now conducting an investigation. It is likely that the graffiti was sprayed from the sidewalk that just opened to the north of the Peace Bridge on March 21. According to the central police department, similar graffiti has been observed at three other locations including nearby parking lots, and the police are looking into a connection between these instances of graffiti and the graffiti found on the bridge railing.
The graffiti, which was made with black paint and is located on the outer side of the bridge railing near the middle of the bridge, consists of English letters and some sort of symbol resembling an arrow and covers an area approximately 50 centimeters high and 80 centimeters long. The surface of the characteristic bridge railing has recently been restored so that it looks similar to the exposed concrete of the original railing constructed 67 years ago. The Hiroshima Flower Festival, which started on May 3, is being held near the bridge. On May 4, Hiroshima City staff checked the damage to the bridge caused by the graffiti and covered it with a blue vinyl sheet. The graffiti will be removed soon.
Yoshinobu Ikegami, 70, a resident of Nishi Ward and former head of Hiroshima City’s road traffic bureau was passing by and said angrily, “This bridge is an irreplaceable work of art which represents Hiroshima citizens’ desire for peace.” Toshiyuki Mimaki, 77, the vice chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), said, “Painting graffiti in such a sacred location is a reprehensible act. I feel very sad and disappointed.” Kunihiko Sakuma, 74, the chair of the other Hiroshima Hidankyo, said, “This is a very thoughtless act. I hope that the perpetrator will learn the symbolism associated with the bridge.”
The Construction Division of the Naka Ward Office says that it will consider ways to prevent graffiti in the future. Last fall, the Hiroshima prefectural police charged some international visitors with spraying graffiti on a bench and in other locations near the A-bomb Dome in the vicinity of the Peace Memorial Park.
(Originally published on May 5, 2019)
On May 4, it was found that the north-side railing of the Peace Bridge, located in Naka Ward, Hiroshima, had been sprayed with graffiti. The railings of the Peace Bridge were designed by world-renowned sculptor Isamu Noguchi. Suspecting vandalism, the Hiroshima prefectural police are now conducting an investigation. It is likely that the graffiti was sprayed from the sidewalk that just opened to the north of the Peace Bridge on March 21. According to the central police department, similar graffiti has been observed at three other locations including nearby parking lots, and the police are looking into a connection between these instances of graffiti and the graffiti found on the bridge railing.
The graffiti, which was made with black paint and is located on the outer side of the bridge railing near the middle of the bridge, consists of English letters and some sort of symbol resembling an arrow and covers an area approximately 50 centimeters high and 80 centimeters long. The surface of the characteristic bridge railing has recently been restored so that it looks similar to the exposed concrete of the original railing constructed 67 years ago. The Hiroshima Flower Festival, which started on May 3, is being held near the bridge. On May 4, Hiroshima City staff checked the damage to the bridge caused by the graffiti and covered it with a blue vinyl sheet. The graffiti will be removed soon.
Yoshinobu Ikegami, 70, a resident of Nishi Ward and former head of Hiroshima City’s road traffic bureau was passing by and said angrily, “This bridge is an irreplaceable work of art which represents Hiroshima citizens’ desire for peace.” Toshiyuki Mimaki, 77, the vice chair of the Hiroshima Prefectural Confederation of A-bomb Sufferers Organizations (Hiroshima Hidankyo), said, “Painting graffiti in such a sacred location is a reprehensible act. I feel very sad and disappointed.” Kunihiko Sakuma, 74, the chair of the other Hiroshima Hidankyo, said, “This is a very thoughtless act. I hope that the perpetrator will learn the symbolism associated with the bridge.”
The Construction Division of the Naka Ward Office says that it will consider ways to prevent graffiti in the future. Last fall, the Hiroshima prefectural police charged some international visitors with spraying graffiti on a bench and in other locations near the A-bomb Dome in the vicinity of the Peace Memorial Park.
(Originally published on May 5, 2019)
