"369 Towers" Memorial Monument

Inscription: Memorial monument to the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima City Junior High School under the old system, "The Tower of 369 Souls" (approximately 1 km from the hypocenter) Hiroshima City Junior High School was established in 1942 (Showa 17) using part of Tenma Elementary School as a temporary school building, and moved to a new school building in Nakahirocho the following year. As the war situation intensified, students were mobilized to work in factories, farming villages, or building evacuation work, and the rigorously trained students were committed to the spirit of the city and bravely defended the home front. On August 6, 1945 (Showa 20), the day Hiroshima was destroyed by the atomic bomb, about 370 teachers and students of the old Hiroshima City Junior High School who were mobilized to work on building evacuation work around Koamicho, fell victim to the flames caused by the atomic bomb. In 1947 (Showa 22), the bereaved families' association and the school built a memorial monument, "The Tower of 369 Souls," in the grounds of Sankoji Temple in Koamicho. On August 6, 1975, the Hiroshima Municipal Junior High School Alumni Association was formed the previous year, and the memorial service was jointly held by the bereaved families' association and the alumni association. The memorial monument was also moved from the grounds of Sankoji Temple to the green space along the Tenma River, where many students died in the bombing. On April 1, 1989, the Hiroshima Municipal Junior High School Alumni Association and the Hiroshima Motomachi High School Alumni Association merged, and decided to hold a memorial service together and protect the monument. On August 6, 2018, the memorial monument was moved to the grounds of Hiroshima Municipal Motomachi High School due to construction of a storm surge embankment on the Tenma River. This monument was erected on the site so that the site of the bombing would not be forgotten. (The memorial monument "369 Memorial Tower" installed in the green space along the Tenma River before renovation, photographed in August 2017) August 6, 2018 Former Hiroshima City Junior High School Memorial Ceremony Executive Committee Hiroshima Motomachi High School Alumni Association