Japanese siteLegacy of A-bombed Trees
About This Project
Within an approximately 2-kilometer radius of the A-bomb hypocenter in Hiroshima are 160 trees, of 31 species, that survived the atomic bombing and are registered as “hibakujumoku (A-bombed trees)” by the City of Hiroshima. In the aftermath of the atomic bombing, it was said that nothing would grow in Hiroshima for 75 years. However, these trees endured the devastation and put out new shoots, and this evidence of new life gave courage and hope to the survivors. Even today, the A-bombed trees continue to stand, with many of them bearing burn scars on their trunks caused by the atomic bomb. ANT-Hiroshima, together with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Hiroshima Office, is pursuing a joint effort called the Green Legacy Hiroshima Initiative to safeguard the survivor trees, hand down their special significance to future generations, and spread their seeds and saplings so they can grow in places around the world and help promote peace.
How This Work Began
Nassrine Azimi, former director of the UNITAR Hiroshima Office, and Tomoko Watanabe, executive director of ANT-Hiroshima, co-founded the Green Legacy Hiroshima Initiative in July 2012. Since that time, the seeds and saplings of A-bombed trees have been passed to partners around the world and bring with them a message of peace, coexistence, and hope from Hiroshima.
