48 Monument erected by Hiroshima Gas Co., Ltd. in Remembrance of Victims of the Atomic Bombing
Date of completion August 2, 1967
Established by Hiroshima Gas Co., Ltd.
Shape
About 2 meters high and about 1 meter in diameter, this black granite monument comprises a cylindrical pedestal on which 5 gas lamps rest.
Motive for the erection
The monument was erected with the prayers of all employees for the victims, and in hope for peace.
Epigraph
"Monument in Remembrance of Victims of the Atomic Bombing on August 6, 1945 - Hiroshima Gas Co., Ltd."
Noteworthy characteristics
1. Damage to the head office building of Hiroshima Gas Co., Ltd.
The company's head office, a ferroconcrete and brick building with 3 stories above ground and 1 story underground, was located where the monument stands today, about 250 meters from the hypocenter. The powerful blast caused the floors and ceilings of each floor to collapse, leaving only the west portion standing.
2 Employees of Hiroshima Gas Co., Ltd. victimized by the atomic bomb
All 34 volunteer workers of the company were killed while demolishing buildings to create firebreaks in Tenjin-machi and Kobiki-cho area in Hiroshima City.
Of the 35 employees working in the head office, all but a few were killed instantly. Those who barely managed to survive died later. Other A-bomb victims included 10 executives from gas companies in 5 prefectures of the Chugoku region who were attending a meeting in Hiroshima on that day to discuss gas business integration.
3. Lamps lit with "Fire of Peace" from Hoshino-mura Village
and "Flame of Peace" from Peace Memorial Park
On August 6, 2007, the gas lamps were lit with the "Fire of Peace" from Hoshino-mura Village in Fukuoka Prefecture, where the embers of a fire from the Hiroshima bombing have been kept burning, and the "Flame of Peace," brought from Peace Memorial Park.
