August 6, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, followed by the bombing of Nagasaki on August 9.
From Hiroshima to Hope is a nonprofit organization in Seattle, WA, dedicated to commemorating the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and all victims of war and violence. Each year on August 6, the organization sponsors an event at Green Lake, Seattle, that includes speakers, music, dance, art, and lantern floating (Toro Nagashi).
The Heron Siege Peace Procession is inspired by peace dances at Buddhist Temples in Asakusa Tokyo. The costumes were designed by artist Chantal Uto. A siege is a persistent effort to overcome; it is also the name of a group of herons. Hence, herons are a symbol of perserverance. The Kintsugi Somatic Art group is encouraging perserverance for peace.
Blades of Change is an equitable arts and community storytelling initiative transforming industrial nuclear fan blades into monumental canvasas for artists. The nuclear fan blads (6×4 feet) originated at the never-completed Satsop Nuclear Power Plant in Elma, WA.
“The Wild Rose of Hiroshima” is etched with paper cranes and crowned in native plants from Wanapum land. The wild rose is a symbol of protection and cleansing. The figure honors Sadako Sasaki and contains further images that link Hiroshima and Hanford, WA. This blade was created by Lauren Iida and Johnny Buck.
Yukiyo Kawano is a third generation hibakusha (nuclear bomb survivor). In her sculpture “Little Boy (folded)”, ishe has sewn silk kimono fabric with strands of her hair (to include her DNA as a third generation hibakusha) to form a suspended full-scale sculpture of Little Boy, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
The lantern floating ceremony is an adaptation of an ancient Japanese Buddhist ritual, the Toro Nagashi, in which lanterns representing the spirits of the dead are floated out to sea and prayers are offered that they might rest in peace. The ceremony is in remembrance of the victims of the atomic bombings. In Seattle, the lanterns have come to represent not only those victims but also those who have died in violent conflict anywhere. The calligraphers of Beikoko Shodo Kenkyukai prepared many lantern sleeves with words of remembrance, peace, and hope.
The procession to launch the lanterns in Green Lake, Seattle, WA, was led by Norimitsu Tosu, a hibakusha (survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bomb). Mr. Tosu and his son, Fumiaki Tosu, brought a young adult pilgrimage (The Fierce Nonviolence Pilgrimage) from Spokane focused on nonviolence and nuclear abolition.
Volunteers launched the floating lanterns into Green Lake, Seattle, WA, on the public dock on behalf of the attendees.
