August, the month of praying 2014 8/15
August 15th is Anniversary of the end of the lost battle of Great East Asia War (the War in the Pacific).
August 14th in1945, Japan officially accepted Potsdam Declaration and on the following day, August 15th. the Emperor announced it to the Japanese public by himself though a radio broadcast .
Around 3million Japanese soldiers and citizens lost their lives during the war. Especially in August 1945 when the negotiation toward the end of the war came close to the conclusion, two atomic bombs were dropped. One was dropped in Hiroshima on August 6th which killed around 250 thousands citizens, the other was dropped in Nagasaki on August 9th which killed around 140 thousands citizens.
Troops of the Soviet Union invaded suddenly into Manchuria since August 9th and killed around 200 thousands Japanese soldiers and citizens.
August is the extraordinary month for Japanese people to memorize the War and pray for the victims.
Mid august is the originally special season in Japan called Bon which is the traditional ritual ceremony to welcome the soul of the ancestors from the heaven and to send them off.
Japanese people believe the soul of ancestors always looks after living descendants and retune to home during Bon period.
Therefore, in farmer’s villages, most people still keep old tradition to decorate the alcove of their houses in hereditary ways with particular materials and flowers to welcome ancestors. People wined and dined with ancestors for a few days at home and pray for the peaceful and healthy year to come.
