GOKOKU SHRINE.

The Gokoku Shrine is Shinto (an ancient religion unique to Japan) and it is located in the Main Compound of Hiroshima Castle’s grounds. However, it has not always stood here. It was originally established in the late 19th century, during the Meiji Period. The Shrine was created to honor those who lost their lives in war, specifically the Boshin War, the war that ended the shogunate system and returned power to the Imperial government. Since then, it has been a place to honor and mourn those lost in any war. For a long time, this Shrine was located close to the old baseball stadium, right next to where The Peace Memorial Park is today. The atomic bomb in 1945 destroyed the Shrine along with everything else and it was rebuilt on Hiroshima Castle grounds in 1956.