Lights of floating paper lanterns with messages against war color river on August 6 in A-bombed city of Hiroshima
Aug. 7, 2022
by Yuichi Ishii, Staff Writer
On the evening of August 6, an event of floating paper lanterns to pray for peace and for the repose of the souls of A-bomb victims was held on the Motoyasu River in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima City’s Naka Ward. Lights from about 2,500 paper lanterns coloring the surface of the river were enveloped in prayer. Written on these paper lanterns were messages collected from the general public for the first time in three years.
Among the messages were “I hope the war between Russia and Ukraine will end soon.” and “May peace continue.” Around 6 p.m., volunteers gently placed the paper lanterns carrying people’s wishes on the river. In an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the organizer of the event saw to it that participants wrote their messages on their lanterns in advance and entrusted them to the executive committee. The candle-lit paper lanterns turned into bands of light and floated down the river with many people watching them on both sides of the river and from Motoyasu Bridge.
Yoshiaki Shimoi, 75, a member of the executive committee and deputy director of the Association of Shopping Malls of Hiroshima City Center, living in the city’s Minami Ward, lost his grandfather and his father’s former wife in the atomic bombing. Watching the lighted paper lanterns, he said, “As horrors of war persist in Ukraine, we want to send out peace messages of many citizens from Hiroshima.”
(Originally published on August 7, 2022)
On the evening of August 6, an event of floating paper lanterns to pray for peace and for the repose of the souls of A-bomb victims was held on the Motoyasu River in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima City’s Naka Ward. Lights from about 2,500 paper lanterns coloring the surface of the river were enveloped in prayer. Written on these paper lanterns were messages collected from the general public for the first time in three years.
Among the messages were “I hope the war between Russia and Ukraine will end soon.” and “May peace continue.” Around 6 p.m., volunteers gently placed the paper lanterns carrying people’s wishes on the river. In an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, the organizer of the event saw to it that participants wrote their messages on their lanterns in advance and entrusted them to the executive committee. The candle-lit paper lanterns turned into bands of light and floated down the river with many people watching them on both sides of the river and from Motoyasu Bridge.
Yoshiaki Shimoi, 75, a member of the executive committee and deputy director of the Association of Shopping Malls of Hiroshima City Center, living in the city’s Minami Ward, lost his grandfather and his father’s former wife in the atomic bombing. Watching the lighted paper lanterns, he said, “As horrors of war persist in Ukraine, we want to send out peace messages of many citizens from Hiroshima.”
(Originally published on August 7, 2022)
