Kokutai-ji Temple
国泰寺
This historic temple site, with a preserved pond and trees, shows Hiroshima's resilience after the atomic bombing.
What it is
- Buddhist place of worship.
- Once the most influential temple in Hiroshima.
- Handled burials of the Asano clan.
- Rebuilt in 1978 after destruction.
What to see
- Grove of trees.
- Small dry pond, Atago Pond.
- Trees with marks of the atomic explosion.
- Trees that burned but sprouted new shoots.
Getting there
- Just outside Shirakami Shrine.
- On the footpath of Peace Boulevard.
In detail
Just outside Shirakami Shrine, on the footpath of Peace Boulevard, is a grove of trees surrounding a small dry pond. This is Atago Pond, which was once part of the garden of the grand Kokutaiji Temple, a Buddhist place of worship neighboring Shirakami Shrine. During the Edo period (1603–1867), when the Asano family ruled Hiroshima, Kokutaiji was the most influential temple in the city. It was responsible for handling the burials of Asano clan members.
Like Shirakami Shrine, Kokutaiji Temple was built near what was then the Hiroshima coastline, and Atago Pond faced a river that emptied into the sea. Even at the time of the atomic bombing, the area around the pond was still lightly forested, although it was no longer on the water. Kokutaiji Temple was completely destroyed in the bombing, but many of the trees around the pond survived the blast. Some still bear the marks of the explosion, while others burned but later sprouted new shoots. In 1978, when the temple was rebuilt to the west, in the Koi district, the remains of Atago Pond were preserved on the original site as a reminder of the city’s resilience.
Text: 観光庁 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース. Reproduced unchanged. The notes above were written from that text by Japan Gems.
Where it is
広島県広島市西区己斐上3-975-5 Open in Google Maps
この施設の関係者の方へ
このページは公開情報をもとに Japan Gems が作成し、訪日外国人向けに英語で掲載しています。 写真や情報の追加・修正を承っています。お店の写真に差し替えることもできます。
このページの情報を更新する
