Confidence
| Field | Confidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Site name | 99% | Center calligraphy clearly reads 平和記念公園 (Heiwa Kinen Kōen — Peace Memorial Park); top-right brush reads 「世界文化遺産 原爆ドーム」 (World Cultural Heritage Atomic Bomb Dome); bottom English text "Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park". The bottom-left red rectangular seal reads 「広島市平和記念公園御来園記念」 — Hiroshima City Peace Memorial Park visit commemoration. |
| Stamp type | 99% | Commemorative civic visit stamp (記念スタンプ), distributed by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum or the Park visitor center. NOT a religious goshuin and NOT a castle gojōin — this is a third stamp category, the 公園・施設記念印 (park/facility commemorative seal). |
| Date | 0% | Date column "令和 年 月 日" is blank. Trip context: 24 March 2025, the same day as Hiroshima Castle (entry 12) and the day before Miyajima (entries 15–16). |
Identification
- Name (Japanese): 広島市 平和記念公園
- Name (Romanized): Hiroshima-shi Heiwa Kinen Kōen — Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
- Site type: Civic memorial park + UNESCO World Heritage Site
- UNESCO World Heritage: the 原爆ドーム (Atomic Bomb Dome / Genbaku Dome) within the park is registered as 世界文化遺産 (World Cultural Heritage) since 1996 (criterion: "a stark and powerful symbol of the achievement of world peace for more than half a century following the unleashing of the most destructive force ever created by humankind")
- Stamp type: Commemorative civic visit stamp (記念スタンプ)
- Location: Naka Ward, Hiroshima City
- Date received: Date column blank; trip context places this on 24 March 2025
Reading the stamp
| Element | Reading | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 世界文化遺産 原爆ドーム | World Cultural Heritage — Atomic Bomb Dome | Top right column, brush |
| 広島市 | Hiroshima City | Right column, brush |
| 平和記念公園 | Peace Memorial Park | Center, large brush |
| 御来園記念 | Go-rai-en kinen — "Park visit commemoration" | Center-left column, brush |
| Origami crane motif (red) | Senbazuru / paper crane — symbol of peace and survival | Center, large red |
| Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (English) | English Romanization | Bottom |
| 広島市平和記念公園御来園記念 (red square) | Park visit commemorative seal | Bottom-left, red square |
| 令和 年 月 日 | Reiwa __ year __ month __ day (blank) | Left column |
About the site
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (広島平和記念公園) is the central memorial complex in downtown Hiroshima, built on what was once the busy commercial district of Nakajima — the area that suffered the most direct and complete devastation when the atomic bomb "Little Boy" detonated above the city on 6 August 1945 at 8:15 a.m.
Designed by architect Kenzō Tange and dedicated in 1954, the park spans the delta between the Hon-kawa and Motoyasu rivers, with the central axis aligned to point the visitor's eye from the Cenotaph (慰霊碑) through the Flame of Peace (平和の灯) directly to the Atomic Bomb Dome (原爆ドーム) across the river. The Cenotaph carries an inscription expressing collective Japanese resolve: 「安らかに眠って下さい 過ちは繰り返しませぬから」 ("Rest in peace, for the mistake shall not be repeated").
The Atomic Bomb Dome
The 原爆ドーム (Genbaku Dome) was originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall (広島県産業奨励館), designed in 1915 by Czech architect Jan Letzel. On 6 August 1945, the building stood almost directly beneath the bomb's hypocenter (about 160 m horizontally) — and because the blast wave struck nearly straight down, the building's central frame and dome remained partially intact while most of the surrounding city was levelled flat. The skeletal remains of the dome have been preserved as a permanent UNESCO World Heritage monument since 1996, with structural interventions in 1967, 1989–90, and 2002–2003 to stabilize the surviving steel frame against collapse.
What it commemorates
- The atomic bombing of Hiroshima (6 August 1945) — approximately 80,000 immediate deaths, with the total death toll from bomb and radiation effects estimated at around 140,000 by year's end (out of a city population of approximately 350,000)
- The Memorial Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims (原爆死没者慰霊碑), which holds the Register of A-Bomb Victims — currently containing names of approximately 340,000 individuals who have died from atomic-bomb-related causes (the registry continues to be updated annually)
- The Children's Peace Monument, dedicated to Sadako Sasaki and the children who died of atomic-bomb-related illnesses; its base is constantly surrounded by senbazuru (1000 origami cranes) sent from schoolchildren around the world — the paper crane visible on this commemorative stamp references this tradition
- The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which preserves artifacts and survivor testimonies
Stamp category note
This is neither a goshuin nor a gojōin. It is a commemorative civic visit stamp issued by the Peace Memorial Park / Museum, and is intended primarily as a souvenir or memento of having visited the World Heritage site. Many goshuincho holders include such commemorative civic stamps in their collections; the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park stamp is one of the most globally significant of this type.
Sources
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (English): https://hpmmuseum.jp/?lang=eng
- UNESCO World Heritage entry — Genbaku Dome: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/775/
- Hiroshima Peace Site: https://hiroshimaforpeace.com/en/
- Wikipedia — Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/広島平和記念公園
- Wikipedia — Atomic Bomb Dome: https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/原爆ドーム
- Hiroshima City Tourism — Peace Memorial Park: https://www.hiroshima-navi.or.jp/spot/sightseeing/2400.html