Atomic Bomb Memorial Tower

Date of construction: August 5, 1955 After the bombing, bodies were scattered around this area near the hypocenter, and countless bodies, including those pulled from the river, were brought there and cremated. In 1946, a temporary memorial tower, temporary ossuary and chapel were built with donations from citizens, and 10 years later, in 1955, Hiroshima City took the lead in renovating the dilapidated ossuary and gathering and storing the unclaimed remains scattered around the area. Inside is the ossuary, which contains the remains of approximately 70,000 people, including those whose entire families were killed and whose relatives cannot be found, and those whose names are unknown. Every year, Hiroshima City makes public a list of unclaimed remains whose names are known, in order to find their families. Of the 2,432 remains in 1955, 824 remain unclaimed and remain in this memorial tower to this day (as of June 20, 2007). Since 1946, a joint memorial service for the dead, attended by members of various religions and sects, has been held in front of the tower every August 6.