64 years ago, Tatsuo Yamamoto went to Hiroshima after the atomic bombing to search for his uncle, but he found only a flame from the bombing burning in the ruins of his uncle’s house.
He took the flame home, in the village of Hoshino-mura, in Fukuoka. With the help of his neighbors, he kept the flame burning, in the memory of his uncle and as an expression of his desire for peace.
In time, the flame became a symbol for peace and in August 1968 it was transfered in a village monument.
In 1988 the flame was mixed with a flame created by the friction of remains from the Nagasaki bombing and it was placed in a monument constructed at the Toshogu Shrine ( 東照宮 ) from Ueno, where it’s still burning today.