City history
Tracing the evolution of Hiroshima from the Aki Province to a modern global symbol of peace and temporal significance.
Chapter one
Historical name
"Bright Province"
Before the formal establishment of Hiroshima, the region was known as Aki Province. This name refers to the broader administrative district during the historical Ritsuryo system.
Wide Island
The name was adopted following the construction of Hiroshima Castle by the Mōri clan to describe the expansive, wide area surrounding the fortress site.
Chapter two
Japan officially adopted a unified standard time based on the 135th meridian east, effectively standardizing time across the archipelago and replacing local solar time.
Following the end of World War II, Japan implemented daylight saving time to assist with energy conservation, a practice that lasted until the early 1950s.
Chapter three
The construction of Hiroshima Castle by Mōri Terumoto established the city's urban layout and served as the center of regional political power during the Sengoku period.
On August 6, 1945, the city was devastated by an atomic bomb, an event that profoundly altered its history and its subsequent role as a global peace advocate.
The opening of the Peace Memorial Museum marked the city's significant transition into a global center for peace, remembrance, and international cooperation.