HIROSHIMA ¨C Hiroshima Castle¡¯s keep in the city of Hiroshima has closed after 68 years as a museum due to structural aging.
The facility, which ended its run on Sunday, is located within Hiroshima Castle Ruins, a national historic site, in Hiroshima¡¯s Naka Ward.
After being destroyed by the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima in the closing days of World War II, the main tower of Hiroshima Castle underwent a temporary wooden reconstruction before being rebuilt in reinforced concrete in 1958.
Ayaka Matsumoto, a 27-year-old caregiver from the city¡¯s Higashi Ward, visited the castle keep with her 6-year-old daughter. ¡°I wanted her to experience the history of Hiroshima Castle,¡± she said, adding she would ¡°miss being able to go inside.¡±
Yuji Yamagata, a 66-year-old self-employed visitor from the city of Kurashiki in Okayama Prefecture, which neighbors Hiroshima Prefecture, said, ¡°I would welcome a restoration in wood.¡±
The city is considering rebuilding the keep in wood and plans to decide on a development approach in five or more years.
¡°I hope (the keep will) remain in people¡¯s memories as a story passed down across generations,¡± Akihiko Omura, head of the facility, said at the closing ceremony on Sunday.
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