Kakigawa River War Disaster Memorial Monument

The Kakigawa War Disaster Memorial Monument (柿川戦災殉難地の碑) stands in Yanagihara Park (柳原公園) on the banks of the Kakigawa River (柿川) in Yanagihara-cho, Nagaoka City. The approximately 1-meter-tall stone monument marks the site of former Shimmei Shrine (神明神社), where 153 people died during the devastating air raid of August 1, 1945.

The Kakigawa River occupies a tragic place in the history of the Nagaoka air raid. When 125 B-29 bombers unleashed 163,000 incendiary bombs (925 tons) on the city starting at 22:30 on August 1, 1945, the resulting firestorm drove thousands of terrified civilians toward the city's waterways. The Kakigawa, a narrow river flowing through the heart of the old city center, became a desperate refuge. Survivors' accounts describe harrowing scenes: men, women, and children plunging into the shallow water as walls of flame closed in from all directions. But the river offered little protection — burning debris and napalm from the M69 incendiary bombs spread across the water surface like a flaming blanket, and the intense radiant heat from burning buildings on both banks made the river corridor a death trap. Many who sought safety in the Kakigawa perished there.

The monument's inscription reads: "During the Pacific War, on the night of August 1, 1945 (Showa 20), at the grounds of Shimmei Shrine in Yanagihara-cho near the clean waters of the Kakigawa River, 153 people lost their lives in air raid attacks. We offer condolences on the fiftieth anniversary of their passing, praying for the repose of the departed souls."

The Kakigawa River area has been featured prominently in postwar remembrance. In 2020, on the 75th anniversary, the Niigata Nippo newspaper published a special series "Memory Carved in Place" (記憶刻む地) that highlighted the Kakigawa as one of the most significant sites. Elderly survivors continue to share their testimonies of the river running red that night, ensuring the memory is passed to younger generations.

Today the Yanagihara Park area along the Kakigawa is a quiet residential neighborhood, and the modest memorial stone stands as a solemn reminder of the night when this peaceful waterway became a scene of unimaginable suffering.