Delegates report at Konu-cho meeting on visit to US for bell tower dedication, reaffirming commitment to peace, hope for expanded communication
Nov. 8, 2022
by Norio Chiba, Staff Writer
Last month, in October, a dedication ceremony took place at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States, to mark the completion of a tower to house a bell of peace. The bell at the Carter Center had originally been sent as a material offering from Shoganji Temple, located in Hichi, Konu-cho, in Hiroshima Prefecture’s Miyoshi City, to the Japanese military during World War II. Upon their return to Japan, members of the Konu-cho citizens’ executive committee, which supports the bell tower construction project, reported on the bell tower dedication and communication that took place with the local community when they attended the ceremony. The executive committee members shared their hope for further expansion of interactions with their U.S. counterparts and reaffirmed their commitment to promote friendship and achieve world peace.
Twelve people attended the meeting, held at the Jimmy Carter Civic Center in Konu-cho, in the evening on November 5. The four members who had visited the United States reported to the meeting participants about their experience. Shodo Yoshii, 74, chief priest of the Shoganji Temple, struck what is known as the “Peace Bell” in the ceremony held at the U.S. Carter Center’s Japanese gardens on October 1. “The bell had a sonorous tone that reverberated to the depths of my soul,” said Mr. Yoshii of the experience.
The bell tower, built with Japanese materials and traditional construction methods, was completed earlier, in August. Noritaka Kondo, 68, a carpenter who had arrived at the United States ahead of the visit and was involved in the tower construction, remarked, “The center staff were friendly. The moment the bell was finally hung in the tower was extraordinary for me.”
About 500 participants were present at the ceremony in Atlanta, including representatives from the Japan-America Society of Georgia. The members of the Japan delegation reported that warm applause followed the showing of a video produced by the executive committee in Konu-cho and presented to the center in celebration of Mr. Carter’s birthday.
The delegation members also reported on their visit to Americus, Konu-cho’s sister city in Georgia, and how they left with a promise to resume as soon as possible the mutual visits that have been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. They added that the members from the Japan-America Society of Georgia had stated their desire to visit Miyoshi City at some point. Warren Tang, 53, one of the delegates from Japan and vice chair of the executive committee, explained his impression that people in the United States truly cherished their connection with Konu-cho.
After the reports, Saichiro Hanagami, 52, the committee chair, said, “Our dream of completing the bell tower came to fruition. We hope to continue developing communication centered on the Peace Bell.”
(Originally published on November 8, 2022)
Last month, in October, a dedication ceremony took place at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States, to mark the completion of a tower to house a bell of peace. The bell at the Carter Center had originally been sent as a material offering from Shoganji Temple, located in Hichi, Konu-cho, in Hiroshima Prefecture’s Miyoshi City, to the Japanese military during World War II. Upon their return to Japan, members of the Konu-cho citizens’ executive committee, which supports the bell tower construction project, reported on the bell tower dedication and communication that took place with the local community when they attended the ceremony. The executive committee members shared their hope for further expansion of interactions with their U.S. counterparts and reaffirmed their commitment to promote friendship and achieve world peace.
Twelve people attended the meeting, held at the Jimmy Carter Civic Center in Konu-cho, in the evening on November 5. The four members who had visited the United States reported to the meeting participants about their experience. Shodo Yoshii, 74, chief priest of the Shoganji Temple, struck what is known as the “Peace Bell” in the ceremony held at the U.S. Carter Center’s Japanese gardens on October 1. “The bell had a sonorous tone that reverberated to the depths of my soul,” said Mr. Yoshii of the experience.
The bell tower, built with Japanese materials and traditional construction methods, was completed earlier, in August. Noritaka Kondo, 68, a carpenter who had arrived at the United States ahead of the visit and was involved in the tower construction, remarked, “The center staff were friendly. The moment the bell was finally hung in the tower was extraordinary for me.”
About 500 participants were present at the ceremony in Atlanta, including representatives from the Japan-America Society of Georgia. The members of the Japan delegation reported that warm applause followed the showing of a video produced by the executive committee in Konu-cho and presented to the center in celebration of Mr. Carter’s birthday.
The delegation members also reported on their visit to Americus, Konu-cho’s sister city in Georgia, and how they left with a promise to resume as soon as possible the mutual visits that have been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. They added that the members from the Japan-America Society of Georgia had stated their desire to visit Miyoshi City at some point. Warren Tang, 53, one of the delegates from Japan and vice chair of the executive committee, explained his impression that people in the United States truly cherished their connection with Konu-cho.
After the reports, Saichiro Hanagami, 52, the committee chair, said, “Our dream of completing the bell tower came to fruition. We hope to continue developing communication centered on the Peace Bell.”
(Originally published on November 8, 2022)
