Shirakami Shrine

Shirakami Shrine was founded around 1600 by Terumoto Mori, who built Hiroshima Castle. The main sanctuary of Shirakami Shrine stands on a rock, and it is said that before Hiroshima Castle was built, the sea extended up to the front of the sanctuary. At that time, people reportedly pasted white paper on this rock as a marker to avoid collisions, and the name is said to have evolved from "Hakushi-sha" (White Paper Shrine) into "Shirakami Shrine." The shrine is about 490 meters from the hypocenter, and within the grounds you can observe traces of the atomic bombing, such as the atomic-bombed guardian lion-dog statues, stone lanterns, a water basin, and rocks that turned reddish from heat exposure. You can also see a camphor tree that was burned above ground by the bomb but later sprouted again from the base and grew to stand as tall as the shrine roof. The current shrine buildings were rebuilt in 1989. The enshrined deities include Kikuri-hime-no-kami, Izanagi-no-kami, Izanami-no-kami, and Amaterasu Omikami, and the shrine is believed to grant blessings such as matchmaking, good fortune, abundant harvests, prosperity of descendants, household safety, and traffic safety.