Hijiyama |
20 Hijiyama-cho, Minami-ku
Located on the corner of Hijiyama-dori Ave and Tsurumi-bashi Bridge. Near Rai Sanyo Buntokuden Hall.
Weeping Willow: 1700m
Plaque: (from English plaque)
Tsurumi Bridge (Approx. 1.7 kilometers from the hypocenter)
At the time of the bombing, mobilized students and volunteer corps were dismantling buildings on the west side of this bridge to prevent the spread of fire from incendiary bombs. Most of those who were mobilized for this work lost their lives as a result of the first atomic bombing in history. The handrails and other parts of the bridge began to burn due to the intense heat of the atomic bomb, but the flames were soon extinguished and many survivors crossed the bridge to take shelter at Hijiyama hill. The weeping willow barely survived the bombing, and is still alive to this day.
(Tsurumi Bridge and the weeping willow, photographed from the east by Eichi Matsumoto in September 1945)
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