A-bombed Camphor Trees of Sanno Shrine
山王神社被爆クスノキ
Two ancient camphor trees (kusunoki), variously estimated at 400 to 600 years old, that survived the Nagasaki atomic bombing on August 9, 1945, despite standing only 800 meters from the hypocenter. Stripped of all branches and leaves by the blast, the charred trunks sprouted new buds within two months, becoming enduring symbols of life, resilience, and peace in post-war Nagasaki. Designated as natural monuments by Nagasaki City, their rustling leaves were selected as one of Japan's "100 Soundscapes Worth Preserving."
Images
History
The A-bombed Camphor Trees of Sanno Shrine (山王神社被爆クスノキ) stand at the entrance of Sanno Shrine (formally Sanno Hiyoshi Shrine / Urakami Kotai Jingu) in the Sakamoto district of Nagasaki City. The two great camphor trees (Cinnamomum camphora) are variously estimated at between 400 and 600 years old (the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum says "over 400 years", the city's survey 400 to 500, and press accounts 500 to 600), with trunk circumferences of approximately 8 meters and 6 meters respectively. Before the atomic bombing, they formed a magnificent canopy over the shrine approach.
THE ATOMIC BOMBING — AUGUST 9, 1945
At 11:02 a.m. on August 9, 1945, the "Fat Man" plutonium bomb detonated over the Urakami Valley. Sanno Shrine stood approximately 800 meters southeast of the hypocenter. The blast wave and thermal radiation utterly destroyed the shrine's main hall and all associated structures. The two great camphor trees were stripped of every branch and leaf, their massive trunks scorched black by the intense heat. In the immediate aftermath, the trees appeared to be dead — bare, charred pillars standing amid total devastation. The shrine's iconic stone torii gate was also shattered, leaving only the famous "one-legged torii" (片足鳥居) that still stands today.
MIRACULOUS REGENERATION
Approximately two months after the bombing, in October 1945, new green buds began to emerge from the blackened trunks — a sight that astonished and deeply moved survivors who had assumed all life in the area was extinguished. The surrounding neighborhood of Urakami lay in complete ruin, and residents who had lost family members and homes found profound encouragement in the trees' tenacious revival. Photographs from this period documenting the first green shoots became powerful symbols of hope for the devastated community.
RECOVERY AND RECOGNITION
Over the following decades, the camphor trees steadily regained their health and vigor. Today their canopy extends approximately 40 meters east-west and 25 meters north-south, with branches from both trees interweaving to form a single magnificent green dome. In 1969 the pair were designated a Natural Monument by Nagasaki City under the name "Great Camphors of Sanno Shrine" (山王神社の大クス). In 1996, the Ministry of the Environment selected the sound of wind through the camphor trees' leaves as one of Japan's "100 Soundscapes Worth Preserving" (残したい日本の音風景100選). Close inspection of the trunks still reveals dramatic evidence of the bombing — dead sections of wood enveloped and overgrown by new living tissue, a visible testament to the trees' ongoing struggle and regeneration.
CULTURAL IMPACT AND THE KUSUNOKI PROJECT
Singer-songwriter Fukuyama Masaharu, a Nagasaki native, released "Kusunoki" (クスノキ) in 2014, a song inspired by the bombed camphor trees. In response to listeners he opened a donation drive, appealing for support at his concerts, and the money goes to the Kusunoki Fund (クスノキ基金), run by Nagasaki City to conserve the city's atomic-bombed trees; his later "KUSUNOKI Project" makes items from pruned branches of the trees and donates the profits to the same fund. The trees continue to draw visitors from around the world as living monuments to survival and peace.