10-17 Peace Stone Lantern
Date of completion August 6, 1955
Established by Tankokai Urasanke Tea Ceremony Group Hiroshima
Shape
A footstone in the shape of a tatami mat with a fire place and lantern on top. On the side of the footstone there is an Epigraph and a message attached at a later date on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the dropping of the atomic bomb.
Motive for the erection
As a prayer for the happiness of the souls of the deceased A-bomb victims in the next world.
Epigraph
"Calmness, memory, peace"
Noteworthy characteristics
1. About the message on the side of the Peace Lantern on the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the dropping of the A-bomb
The message written by Tanshosai Ishii, president of the Tankokai Urasenke Tea Ceremony Group Hiroshima, reads as follows below. Also, every year on August 6 a tea ceremony is held in front of the lantern.
"As it is said, life is half of a tatami mat when awake and one tatami mat when sleeping and there is no greater happiness than to make one's first cry as a newborn on a tatami mat, to live on tatami mats and to die on top of tatami mats.
Praying that the souls of the a-bomb victims may rest peacefully, we have made this footstone particularly the shape of a tatami mat to enjoy drinking tea in all four seasons of calm and peacefulness on top of an ordinary tatami mat and we will put our hands together in prayer and forever offer tea to the gods. The height of the stone is 1 shaku 2 sun representing the 12 months of the year, the fire place has a margin of 2 sun and the lantern 1 shaku 5 sun high with a base of 4 sun by 3 sun which comes from the numbers of August (8) 6 divided by two.
On top of the tatami mat all are equal with no discrimination. The clear water reservoir is formed like the hinomaru [1] with a diameter of 1.8 sun representing the 108 evil thoughts [2] and a depth of 3 sun. At noon is receives the virtue of the sun, the origin of all things and at night the benevolence of the moon.
The reflection of the moon in the water is resembling the saving of the living beings and we regard it as an offering from the heart for hearing the teachings of Buddha." Notes
[1] round sun as on the Japanese flag
[2] Buddhist concept
Reference
1 shaku = approx. 30.3cm
1 sun = approx. 3.03cm
