Phoenix tree
The phoenix tree is a symbol of the Japanese memory of the atomic bombing on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and the resulting peace work. These are Aogiri trees that stood in the immediate vicinity of the center of the atomic bomb explosion and survived it. They have been in the park of the Hiroshima Peace Museum since they were implemented in 1973 .
origin
Today's symbolism of the phoenix tree goes back to Chinese parasol trees (Japanese Aogiri , scientifically Firmiana platanifolia or Sterculia platanifolia ), which grew in 1945 in the courtyard of the Post and Telecommunications Office of the city of Hiroshima . This was located about 1.3 kilometers from the hypocenter of the bomb explosion. Since there were no large structures between the hypocenter and the office, the trees were almost completely hit by the heat and radiation of the explosion. They then lost all branches and leaves and burned on the side facing the explosion.
Although the trees appeared dead like many others in Hiroshima, some of them showed new leaves and buds in the spring of the following year. Something similar was observed in other trees in Hiroshima, such as ginkgo and apricot trees, some of which were also closer to the hypocenter. Nevertheless, these parasol trees became a symbol of survival and the resurrection of the almost completely destroyed city and hope for the survivors.
Meaning in the present
In 1973 the surviving parasol trees were moved to the park of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, where they continue to grow and bloom despite still visible signs of burns. Today, offshoots grow in the schoolyard of every elementary school in Hiroshima. Seeds have also been passed on to many people in Japan and other countries, so that descendants of these trees can be found worldwide.
The song of the phoenix tree is part of teaching Japanese school children about the atomic bomb.
literature
- Chikahiro Hiroiwa: Hiroshima Witness for Peace. Testimony of A-bomb Survivor Suzuko Numata. Soeisha / Books Sanseido, Tokyo 1998, ISBN 4881422081
