The inscription on this weathered stone, barely visible beneath the relentless Hiroshima sun, speaks of loyalty, sacrifice, and a bond between man and beast. This, my friends, is the Hiroshima Horse and Soldier Statue, a poignant reminder of the human cost of war. Standing here, it’s hard to imagine the chaos and destruction that engulfed this very spot decades ago. The Hiroshima Horse and Soldier Statue memorializes the soldiers and horses of the 5th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army who perished during the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. The statue itself depicts a soldier and his loyal steed, their forms frozen in a moment of silent tribute to their fallen comrades. The inscription on the memorial, weathered by time but still legible, tells a story of bravery, hardship, and the unbreakable bond between a soldier and his horse. It also lists the names of those who died, their sacrifice forever etched in stone.
芸州廿日市御本陣旧跡
“A castle built on the plain?” you might ask. “Isn’t that a bit…exposed?” And indeed, the Hiroshima Gokoku Jinja, the