Hiroshima reveals vault containing unclaimed ashes of A-bomb victims for 1st time in decade
Most of the remains in the mound are unidentified. There are also the remains of 812 people whose names are known, but their families are not.
"We'd like to make the presence of this memorial mound widely known and connect it to the search of the bereaved families of the victims," said a city representative.
The underground vault, measuring 2 meters in height and occupying some 27 square meters, is within Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima's Naka Ward. In the center is an altar and on the shelves on both sides are urns, each containing the remains of identified victims, as well as 178 wooden boxes holding the remains of unidentified individuals.
The mound was built by the city and other parties in 1955. The municipal government in 1968 created and released a name list of people whose remains were identified through name tags and other information, and has since been sending out the list to local governments and other bodies across the country. Of the ashes whose families have been identified, those of 1,002 people have been returned to their kin, while the remains of 623 individuals have been interred at the memorial permanently at their relatives' request.
The name list (in Japanese) can also be viewed on the city's website. For inquiries, contact the Research Division of the city's Atomic Bomb Survivors Relief Department via phone: 082-504-2191.
(Japanese original by Chinami Takeichi, Hiroshima Bureau)
* The name list of 812 atomic bomb victims whose names are known but whose families remain unknown can be viewed via the websites below. If you know anyone whose names are listed (in Japanese) or their families, contact Hiroshima City Hall at:
Research Division
Atomic Bomb Survivors Relief Department
Health and Welfare Bureau
Hiroshima City Hall
1-6-34 Kokutaiji-machi, Naka Ward, Hiroshima City 730-8586
Tel: 082-504-2191 Fax: 082-504-2257
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