Wender·Vista
Hiroshima Peace Memorial
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileJapan
in central Hiroshima, on the bank of the Motoyasu River

Hiroshima Peace Memorial

— — the shape grief made of a building.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A skeletal dome on the Motoyasu River, kept exactly as the morning of August 6, 1945 left it. The blast came from almost directly above, which is why the walls below stayed standing while the city around it did not. Peace Memorial Park spreads from the opposite bank. On the anniversary, paper lanterns drift the water after dark. from the studio

from the studio
Hiroshima Peace Memorial
— bring it home

Hiroshima Peace Memorial, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Hiroshima Peace Memorial

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The building was the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, designed by the Czech architect Jan Letzel and opened in April 1915. The atomic bomb detonated at 8:15 on the morning of August 6, 1945, roughly 600 metres above and 160 metres southeast of the hall. The vertical force of the blast left the central dome's steel frame standing while everything inside burned. The Hiroshima city council voted in 1966 to preserve the ruin in place. UNESCO inscribed the site as a World Heritage property in December 1996, listed in Japanese as Genbaku Dōmu.

— the stone

Letzel built the hall in brick faced with stone and topped it with an elliptical copper-clad steel dome about 25 metres tall. The copper sheathing vaporised in the heat of the blast; what remains is the dome's bare iron skeleton, the brick walls below, and the foundations of the inner rooms, where stairs lead nowhere. Successive stabilisation campaigns have reinforced the masonry without restoring it, most recently in 2003 and 2016. The intent is conservation as ruin: the city protects the building from collapse but not from looking like what it is.

— the visit

Peace Memorial Park, laid out across the river from the dome and designed by Kenzō Tange, opened in 1954. The grounds are free and open at all hours. The Peace Memorial Museum at the south end of the park charges a small admission and keeps long hours through the year. The annual ceremony on August 6 begins at 8:15 in the morning, the time of the detonation. After dark on the same day, paper lanterns inscribed with the names of the dead are floated down the Motoyasu River past the dome.

— where
Japan · Naka, Hiroshima
— within
Peace Memorial Park
— position
34.3955° N · 132.4537° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
0.3 km S
Peace Memorial Museum
museum
0.2 km S
Children's Peace Monument
monument
0.9 km NE
Hiroshima Castle
castle
1.3 km E
Shukkeien Garden
garden
N
Hiroshima Peace Memorial
Peace Memorial Museum
Children's Peace Monument
Hiroshima Castle
Shukkeien Garden
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Hiroshima Peace Memorial — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

The Atomic Bomb Dome, formally Genbaku Dōmu, is the preserved skeleton of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. The atomic bomb detonated almost directly above it on the morning of August 6, 1945.

The bomb exploded roughly 600 metres above and 160 metres southeast of the hall, so the force fell almost vertically. The walls and dome frame beneath it kept their footing while everything inside burned.

The Czech architect Jan Letzel designed the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, which opened in April 1915 as a venue for trade exhibitions. It stood for thirty years before the war reached the city.

UNESCO inscribed the Genbaku Dome in December 1996. Its listing recognises the ruin as a stark witness to the destructive power of nuclear weapons and a standing symbol of the hope for lasting peace.

The Peace Memorial Ceremony begins at 8:15 in the morning, the moment of the detonation. After dark, families and visitors float paper lanterns inscribed with the names of the dead down the Motoyasu River past the dome.

The dome stands on the east bank of the Motoyasu River in central Hiroshima, across the water from Peace Memorial Park. It is a short walk from the Genbaku Dome-mae streetcar stop on the Hiroden line.

— about the piece in your home

It has been a meaningful piece for many of our customers connected to the city. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio carries well. The piece is observed rather than celebratory.

The piece reads well in quiet rooms: Japanese minimalist, Wabi-Sabi modern, and muted gallery walls. The dark iron tones of the dome anchor pale walls without dominating them, and the surface holds light without glare.

A single Large covers most sofas. For a longer wall, a 4-tile Mural carries the weight; a 9-tile Mural fills a console-to-ceiling stretch and reads as a wall installation rather than a framed piece.

Yes. Order the Dura Satin or Matte finish for vertical installations in wet rooms; both resist water and scratches. The Glossy finish is reserved for framed wall art in drier rooms of the house.

A soft microfibre cloth and plain water are all the surface needs. Skip abrasive sponges and ammonia-based cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, so it will not lift or fade with regular cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista painting is made in the Knoxville studio by Reid Wender, the curator. We do not license imagery from other studios, and no painting appears in more than one atlas.

— if this one stayed with you

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