The , located about 800 metres south-east of the atomic bomb

hypocentre A hypocenter or hypocentre (), also called ground zero or surface zero, is the point on the Earth's surface directly below a nuclear explosion, meteor air burst, or other mid-air explosion. In seismology, the hypocenter of an earthquake is its p ...

Nagasaki , officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...

, is noted for its one-legged stone ''

torii A is a traditional culture of Japan, Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...

'' at the shrine entrance.

Torii

The well-known was a result of the atomic bomb blast on August 9, 1945. The epicenter of the bomb's destructive force was located approximately 800 meters from the shrine. One support column was knocked down; but the other somehow remained standing, keeping the gate upright but effectively breaking it in half. The force of the shockwave rotated the ''torii'' about 30 degrees on its pedestal base. The central part of the shrine is located just behind the photographer of the image on the right. City of Nagasaki

Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum

.

Trees

The surviving trees of Sannō Shrine have become another living demonstration of destruction and re-growth. Two large

camphor tree ''Camphora officinarum'' is a species of evergreen tree indigenous to warm temperate to subtropical regions of East Asia, including countries such as China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, and Japan. It is known by various names, most notably the camph ...

s were scorched, burned and stripped of all leaves by the bomb's shock wave; and yet, despite everything, the trees survived. One tree in Nagasaki was designated a natural monument on February 15, 1969. The dead parts of the living trees have been enveloped by new growth. The

J-pop J-pop (often stylized in all caps; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in trad ...

singer and actor Fukuyama Masaharu, who was born in Nagasaki to survivors of the atomic bomb, wrote his song "Kusunoki" (クスノキ) (from his 2014 album ''

Human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

'') about these trees. Fukuyama used the song to solicit donations which the city of Nagasaki used to establish the Kusunoki Foundation, dedicated to preserving the city's atomic bombed trees and teaching the history associated with them.

Gallery

Notes

Monuments and memorials in Japan Shinto shrines in Nagasaki Prefecture Religious buildings and structures in Nagasaki Monuments and memorials concerning the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Chinjusha Religious buildings and structures completed in 1638 Religious buildings and structures completed in 1869 Independent shrines Shinmei shrines Sannō Ichijitsu Shintō {{Hiyoshi Faith