Sannō Shrine One-Legged Torii Gate

The one-legged torii gate of Sannō Shrine stands on the old Urakami Road in the Sakamoto district of Nagasaki City, a striking monument to the destructive power of the atomic bomb and the resilience of what survived it.

CONSTRUCTION AND ORIGINAL SETTING

The torii was erected in October 1924 (Taishō 13) as the shrine's second gate (二の鳥居), installed when the approach path to Sannō Shrine was extended. Before the bombing, the shrine possessed four torii gates in succession along its approach. Sannō Shrine itself — formally Sannō Hiyoshi Shrine and Urakami Kōtai Jingū — traces its origins to 1638, having served the Urakami district for centuries.

THE ATOMIC BOMBING — AUGUST 9, 1945

At 11:02 a.m. on August 9, 1945, the "Fat Man" plutonium bomb detonated approximately 500 meters above the Urakami Valley. The second torii stood roughly 800 meters southeast of the hypocenter. Because the first and second gates were oriented parallel to the direction of the blast wave, they were not struck broadside and thus avoided total destruction. The third and fourth gates, more exposed to the lateral force, were obliterated. On the second torii, the pillar facing the hypocenter (the northwest side) was snapped off and hurled away along with half of the kasagi (crossbeam), while the surviving southern pillar absorbed the shock. The blast also rotated the remaining structure approximately 12 to 30 degrees on its stone pedestal. On the hypocenter-facing surface, intense thermal radiation melted the mineral components of the stone, rendering the carved inscriptions illegible, while the inscriptions on the shielded side remain clearly readable to this day.

THE FIRST TORII AND ITS LOSS

The first torii (一の鳥居) also survived the bombing largely intact, having likewise been aligned parallel to the blast. However, in 1962, it was toppled by a traffic accident and could not be restored. A section of the fallen crossbeam from the destroyed third torii is preserved nearby as a memorial stone.

SURVIVING CAMPHOR TREES

Within the shrine grounds, two massive camphor trees (kusunoki) — estimated to be around 500 years old (sources give figures between 400 and 600 years) — were scorched, stripped of all foliage, and had major limbs broken by the blast. They appeared dead but remarkably began sprouting new shoots approximately two months after the bombing. Today the trees are lush and vigorous, their scarred trunks enveloped by new growth. One was designated a Natural Monument on February 15, 1969. The camphor trees, together with the one-legged torii, form the core of the shrine's atomic bomb heritage.

DESIGNATION AND PRESERVATION

On October 3, 2016, the one-legged torii was officially designated a component of the National Historic Site "Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Ruins" (長崎原爆遺跡). The Kusunoki Foundation, established in December 2018, works to preserve the atomic-bombed trees and raise awareness of the site's significance. The torii stands today exactly as it was left by the blast — unrepaired and unreconstructed — serving as one of the most photographed and emotionally resonant memorials in Nagasaki.