Tamiki Hara's Poetry Monument

This is the poetry monument (Shihi) dedicated to Hara Tamiki, a writer and poet originally from Hiroshima City, who documented his atomic bombing experience in novels such as Natsu no Hana (Summer Flowers). Engraved on the monument is his poem, "Tōki Hi no Ishi ni Kizami..." (Engraved on the Stone of a Distant Day...), which embodies his fervent wish for peace. The monument is located within the Peace Memorial Park, near the Atomic Bomb Dome.

The Story & Significance

This monument was erected to commemorate Hara Tamiki, a writer and poet known for his works on the atomic bombing experience, particularly his representative novel, Natsu no Hana (Summer Flowers).

The poem engraved on the monument, "Tōki Hi no Ishi ni Kizami..." (Engraved on the Stone of a Distant Day...), was taken from a handwritten manuscript of the poem that was attached to his will in 1951 (Showa 26), the year he passed away. It was selected by the writers and literary figures who were close to him.

The monument was initially built near the stone walls of Hiroshima Castle. However, due to severe damage caused by vandalism—including being targeted by stone-throwing by insensitive individuals, and the theft of the copper plate on the back—it fell into disrepair. Consequently, it was relocated and restored in 1967 (Showa 42) to its current location within the Peace Memorial Park (southeast of the Atomic Bomb Dome).

Location

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Starting from the Atomic Bomb Dome, if you walk along the path closer to the city area, rather than the main walkway, you will find it tucked away quietly.

Gallery

Transcript of the Inscription

Monument to Tamiki Hara
Engraved in stone long ago,
Lost in the shifting sand,
In the Midst of the crumbing world,
The vision of the flower.

Inscription of the Tamiki Hara Poetry Monument

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As no official English translation exists some texts on this site have been translated by us. Please be aware that slight differences in nuance may occur.

Tamiki Hara was a poet of pure and melancholic character ill-suited to common life. On the night of March 13 1951 he left this turbulent world by lying on a railway track in the western suburbs of Tokyo. Indeed the loneliness of his life and the toil of a defeated nation were more than a spirit like his could bear. He left seventeen farewell notes first expressing gratitude for years of friendship and then casually bidding eternal farewell. Appended to the end of two of these notes was the short poem which contains within the phrase A phantom of a single flower his remembrance of his deceased wife his pride and sorrow regarding his powerful work Summer Flowers which records the day his hometown was destroyed and a self-consolation and mourning for his short forty-six-year life an expression brief in words but profound in grief. His surviving friends consulted together to inscribe his words on a stone in his hometown to preserve his legacy perpetually between heaven and earth. The night of July 13 1951 Written by Haruo Satō the elder among the surviving friends.

Tamiki Hara's Poetry Monument Overview: What is it?The Story & Significance Location Gallery Transcript of the Inscription Inscription of the Tamiki Hara Poetry Monument