Could you imagine a temple reduced to ashes? Today we’re at the site of the former Jisenji Temple. It stood here in what is now Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
Jisenji Temple was a flourishing Jodo or Pure Land Buddhist temple. It dated back to the 1600s. The temple was tragically located about 200 meters from the hypocenter. On August 6 1945 the atomic bombing reduced it to nothing.
The temple’s chief priest Senrei Kajiyama was killed. His wife Hisae and three other family members also died on the temple grounds. After the bombing the grounds became a makeshift crematory. Countless corpses were cremated here. Their ashes were then collected.
After the war the chief priest’s oldest son Senjun returned. He aimed to restore the temple. He built a barracks on the ruined site. But the temple was moved to a different location. This was to make way for the construction of Peace Memorial Park. In 1973 Jisenji Temple was relocated again. It is now in Eba Nihonmatsu.
Before the bombing Jisenji Temple played a vital role in the community. In May 1942 photographs were taken. They showed 44 adolescent boys sitting at tables in the temple’s main hall. They were new employees at the Hiroshima Railway Bureau. They were undergoing training. Mr. Nikamoto was one of them. He was 15 years old at the time. He remembers sleeping side by side in the huge main hall.
Remarkably one gravestone survived the blast. It was built in 1689 for Kunai Okamoto. He was a high-ranking official of the Asano Clan. The clan had once ruled Hiroshima. During the construction of Peace Memorial Park a decision was made. The gravestone and surrounding grounds would be preserved. It serves as a testimony to the destructive power of nuclear weapons. It is the only site in Peace Memorial Park where the ground remains as it was in 1945. The rest of the park was built up with sand and dirt. This covered the original soil.
The gravestone stands as a silent witness to the past. It reminds us of the lives lost. It also reminds us of the importance of peace. It is a powerful symbol of resilience and remembrance.