All historic sites
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55 sites · page 3 of 3
Ishizue Jizo Memorial (Ichirenji Temple)
いしずえ地蔵尊（一蓮寺）
A Jizo Bodhisattva memorial at Ichirenji Temple in Kofu, erected to honor over 300 air raid victims whose bodies were cremated and buried on the temple grounds following the devastating July 6-7, 1945 firebombing. Registered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications as an official civilian war-dead memorial facility. The memorial was renovated in 1999 and remains a site of annual remembrance ceremonies.
Junka District Memorial Tower for War & Earthquake Victims
順化地区万霊供養塔
A memorial tower originally erected in August 1967 at the foot of the Gohonjo Bridge inside Fukui Castle to honor civilians who perished in the castle moat during the July 19, 1945 air raid and the 1948 earthquake. Relocated in October 2015 — the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII — to the Junka Green Space adjacent to Fukui Shrine, returning the memorial to the community near the moat where the victims died.
Kakigawa River War Disaster Memorial Monument
柿川戦災殉難地の碑
A memorial stone approximately 1 meter tall in Yanagihara Park along the Kakigawa River, Nagaoka, marking the site of former Shimmei Shrine where 153 people perished during the August 1, 1945 air raid. As incendiary bombs engulfed the city, hundreds of civilians fled to the Kakigawa River seeking refuge, but flames spread across the water surface, trapping and killing many in the shallow river. The monument was erected on the 50th anniversary of the raid in 1995.
Matsumoto Castle
松本城
Matsumoto Castle, one of Japan's twelve original castles and a designated National Treasure, is said to have been identified during 1945 as a potential relocation site for the Eastern Army District Command (東部軍管区司令部) under the Ketsu-Go homeland defense plan. Located in central Nagano Prefecture alongside the nearby Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters, the castle and its surrounding area were being prepared as part of a last-stand defense zone in the mountainous interior of Honshu, far from vulnerable coastal cities. The castle itself, built between 1504 and 1594, survived the war intact and remains one of the finest preserved original castle keeps in Japan.
War Disaster Reconstruction Memorial Statue (Tennyo no Zo)
戦災復興記念像（天女の像）
A bronze statue of a celestial maiden (tennyo) erected on August 1, 1974 in Toyama Castle Park, beside the Matsukawa River in central Toyama, to commemorate the city's recovery from the devastating August 1-2, 1945 air raid that destroyed 99.5% of the US target area. Listed among war-damage memorial facilities by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
War Disaster Victims Memorial Kannon Statue (Ote Kannon)
戦災殉難者慰霊観音像（大手観音）
A Kannon (Avalokitesvara) statue erected in 1964 near Fukui Castle to memorialize 23 people — staff of the Fukui Post Office telephone section and others — who died during the July 19, 1945 air raid. Originally placed in the courtyard of the Fukui Telegraph and Telephone Bureau, the statue was relocated in 1987 when the bureau moved, and in March 1996 a permanent Kannon Hall was completed to house it. Registered with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications as an official war memorial.
War Disaster Victims Unclaimed Remains Memorial (Tsutsujigazaki Cemetery)
戦災殉難者無縁佛供養碑（甲府市営つつじが崎霊園）
A memorial stele erected on August 10, 1959 at the Kofu Municipal Tsutsujigazaki Cemetery, honoring unclaimed and unidentified remains of victims from the July 6-7, 1945 Kofu Air Raid. The remains had been temporarily housed at Daisenji Temple in Iwakubo-cho before being transferred to this permanent resting place. Registered as an official civilian war-dead memorial by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.