Buddhist service for peace held in front of Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound
Jul. 8, 2015
by Kunihiko Sakurai and Taiki Yomura, Staff Writers
Temples belonging to the western Hiroshima group of the Hongwanji school of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, or True Pure Land Buddhism, and the sect’s Hiroshima Branch Temple located in downtown Hiroshima, held a service to wish for peace on July 3, timed to mark the 70th year since the end of World War II. In the western part of Hiroshima Prefecture are 546 temples affiliated with this school of Buddhism. In front of the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Kojun Otani, 38, the head priest of the Hongwanji school and the officiating priest, addressed some 1,000 participants, including priests and followers, saying, “We must make our utmost efforts to realize a world where people can live in harmony.”
During the service, some 400 followers and priests walked from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to the Memorial Mound, pausing at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims en route. They were accompanied by the sounds of gagaku, ancient Japanese court music.
After the religious service, Mr. Otani read out a “wish for peace, to the 70th year since the end of the war.” He stated, “The pains inflicted by the war have become a distant memory, and the memory is fading and is on the verge of being forgotten. We must not forget that the Hongwanji school supported the war effort.” He stressed that handing down peace is the greatest duty of those now living in the present.
Nobuko Kochi, 81, a housewife who lives in the northern part of the prefecture, was living in the village of Ogauchi (today’s Asakita Ward) at the time of the atomic bombing, and took part in the relief efforts. She expressed sympathy with Mr. Otani’s message that, even after 70 years, we must not forget the sorrow and pain of the war. Ms. Kochi said, “It’s something I don’t want to remember, but we mustn’t forget. I again saw the importance of passing down these memories.”
It was the second time that the head priest of the Hongwanji school has held a service in the Peace Memorial Park. The first such service was held 33 years ago, in 1982, by the former head priest, Koshin Otani, 69. Another memorial service for all the war victims and the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings will take place at the Hiroshima Branch Temple starting at 10 a.m. on July 4.
(Originally published on July 4, 2015)
Temples belonging to the western Hiroshima group of the Hongwanji school of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, or True Pure Land Buddhism, and the sect’s Hiroshima Branch Temple located in downtown Hiroshima, held a service to wish for peace on July 3, timed to mark the 70th year since the end of World War II. In the western part of Hiroshima Prefecture are 546 temples affiliated with this school of Buddhism. In front of the Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Kojun Otani, 38, the head priest of the Hongwanji school and the officiating priest, addressed some 1,000 participants, including priests and followers, saying, “We must make our utmost efforts to realize a world where people can live in harmony.”
During the service, some 400 followers and priests walked from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to the Memorial Mound, pausing at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims en route. They were accompanied by the sounds of gagaku, ancient Japanese court music.
After the religious service, Mr. Otani read out a “wish for peace, to the 70th year since the end of the war.” He stated, “The pains inflicted by the war have become a distant memory, and the memory is fading and is on the verge of being forgotten. We must not forget that the Hongwanji school supported the war effort.” He stressed that handing down peace is the greatest duty of those now living in the present.
Nobuko Kochi, 81, a housewife who lives in the northern part of the prefecture, was living in the village of Ogauchi (today’s Asakita Ward) at the time of the atomic bombing, and took part in the relief efforts. She expressed sympathy with Mr. Otani’s message that, even after 70 years, we must not forget the sorrow and pain of the war. Ms. Kochi said, “It’s something I don’t want to remember, but we mustn’t forget. I again saw the importance of passing down these memories.”
It was the second time that the head priest of the Hongwanji school has held a service in the Peace Memorial Park. The first such service was held 33 years ago, in 1982, by the former head priest, Koshin Otani, 69. Another memorial service for all the war victims and the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombings will take place at the Hiroshima Branch Temple starting at 10 a.m. on July 4.
(Originally published on July 4, 2015)
