stone lantern of peace

Date of construction: August 6, 1955 This stone lantern was built by the Hiroshima branch of the Urasenke Tea Ceremony Tankokai to pray for the repose of the souls of the victims of the atomic bomb. Every year on August 6, a tea ceremony is held in front of the stone lantern. The following is inscribed on the wall: Words of the Peace Stone Lantern (1977) on the 33rd anniversary of the atomic bombing: "Life is half a tatami mat for waking and one tatami mat for sleeping. It is said that we are born on a tatami mat, live on a tatami mat, and die on a tatami mat; it is the greatest happiness. In prayer for the peaceful repose of the souls of the victims of the atomic bomb, the base stone is shaped like a tatami mat, and we will always sit on a tatami mat in the four seasons of tranquility and harmony, sitting daily, drinking tea, and praying forever." The height of the base stone is 1 shaku 2 shaku representing the twelve months of the year, the hearth has a 2-inch edge, the height of the lantern is 1 shaku 5 shaku the size of the hearth, and the gap between the base stone and the hearth is 4 shaku and 3 shaku, dividing August 6th in half. On the tatami mat, there is equality between host and guest, without discrimination. The purified water pond is shaped like the Japanese flag, 1 shaku 8 bu in diameter and 3 shaku deep, representing the 108 earthly desires. During the day, it praises the virtue of the sun, the source of all things, and at night, it praises the blessings of water, and the moon's reflection in the pond is the image of a being who can save all living beings, and is an offering in the heart of seeing the Buddha's Law. August 6th, 1955, Vow to build, Builder: Ishii Tanshosai Soju, Head of Hiroshima Branch of Tankokai