13 The Figure of the Merciful Goddess of Peace (Kannon)
Memorial Monument for Nakajima-hon-machi Residents
Completed: August 6, 1856
Established by : the Nakajima-hon-machi Association
Because of its extreme proximity to the hypocenter, Nakajima-hon-machi lost 458 people, virtually all its inhabitants, to the bombing. The district became part of Peace Memorial Park after the war, forcing any survivors to move. Thus, the neighborhood entirely vanished.
In front of the figure stands a map of Nakajima hon-machi before the bombing. Survivors from the neighborhood formed the Nakajima-hon-machi Association, which created the map. The survivors reconstructed the neighborhood by using their memories and borrowing aerial photographs taken by the US military. They intended the map to continuously convey to the future their feelings about their lost town and memories.
