(25) Was there another design for the Cenotaph?

Designed by Isamu Noguchi

The Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims, unveiled on August 6, 1952, was designed by a leading Japanese architect, the late Kenzo Tange, who died in 2005 at the age of 91. When standing in front of the Cenotaph, its open form offers a clear view of the A-bomb Dome. But were any other designs considered when the monument was under discussion?

Above : Model of the Cenotaph by Isamu Noguchi Below: The Cenotaph in Peace Memorial Park

I spoke with a staff member of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum who quickly provided the answer to my question: Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988), a world-renowned sculptor, created the original design for the Cenotaph as well as a bridge in Peace Memorial Park. Born to a Japanese father and American mother, he was raised in the United States. During World War II, he lived in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans.

His friend, Kenzo Tange, who was overseeing the plans for Peace Memorial Park, asked Noguchi to design the Cenotaph. For Mr. Noguchi, who had a parent from both countries involved in the bombing, the project was an inspiring opportunity and he took on the work without payment.

Isamu Noguchi felt a strong faith in the power of sculpture. Masatoshi Izumi, from The Isamu Noguchi Foundation in Japan, was present at Mr. Noguchi's studio when he was involved in creating his design for the Cenotaph. Mr.Izumi recalls, "He told me art can bring peace to the minds of human beings. Art is a force beyond ethnic differences and the notion of friends and enemies. He said that's why he was creating sculpture."

However, in 1952, after Mr. Noguchi's model for the Cenotaph was completed, his design was rejected.

Apparently, the committee charged with the reconstruction plans for the city opposed Mr. Noguchi's participation. They felt that the Cenotaph should not be designed by someone from the country that dropped the bomb. Mr. Noguchi reacted to this decision by saying, "It's hard to understand why my work is being rejected just because I'm a foreigner." After that, Mr. Tange took over the design for the Cenotaph.

Mr. Noguchi's original model for the Cenotaph had been missing for many years, but it was rediscovered in 2003 in a storage room of the Kanagawa Prefectural Modern Museum. The model is made of plaster, 1/20 the size of the imagined monument. A rounded arch, the model bears two notes: "on the ground" and "under the ground" in order to separate the structure into two parts. The intention was to house the list of A-bomb victims in the part lying underground.

In 2005, an expert confirmed that this model was made by Isamu Noguchi. The former director of Kanagawa Prefectural Modern Museum believes the piece was once displayed at a one-man show. This past February the museum formally received it as a donation from the owner so it will now remain in the museum's collection.

I imagine Mr. Noguchi was hurt deeply when resistance from city officials prevented his participation in designing the Cenotaph. Mr. Izumi told me that he remembers Mr.Noguchi's words in his later years when the artist said, "Times have changed and perhaps my design would now be accepted." (Takashi Kenda)