The stamp of the month of May 2023 was issued in Japan on the occasion of the G7 Summit on 10.5. It is part of a series of 5 stamps, all showing motifs from the city/prefecture of Hiroshima. Especially in these times, when we hear, see, and read more and more about war, it is important to me to point out how terrible war is – how destructive. And for that, you need the memory. The memory of the destructive power of war. Stamps are also good for this, as this series from Japan shows its references to the destructive power of an atomic bomb. Often enough stamps were and are misused for propaganda purposes. Such a “commemorative series” is good, even if the occasion was a political one and not without a touch of propaganda.
Nevertheless, I think this series is worth mentioning. Starting with the rice spoons of Hiroshima Prefecture, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, the Peace Monument – the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Itsukushima Shrine. However, the stamp I chose represents a simple tree – the camphor tree. The stamp – like the others in this series – is designed in very restrained colors. The camphor tree is the “city tree” of the city of Hiroshima. This tree, along with the “city flower” the oleander, was “chosen” by the residents of Hiroshima in 1973.
Before the war, huge old camphor trees could be seen all over the city. Almost all of them were lost in the bombing on August 6, 1945. The camphor trees that survived quickly recovered and became a source of hope and inspiration for citizens on the road to recovery. They remain a symbol of Hiroshima reborn, an evergreen tree that makes the seasons colorful.
As the very first flower to bloom on the scorched earth of Hiroshima, where supposedly nothing would grow for 75 years, the oleander was a source of strength and hope for the city’s residents who worked hard to restore it. The oleander reaches its peak of bloom in the summer around August 6, Peace Memorial Day.
- Country: Japan
- Issued on: 2023-05-10
- Size: 28 x 38.5 mm
- Colors: Multicolor
- Designers:Tamaki Akira (玉木 明)
- Format: Stamp
- Emission: Commemorative
- Perforation: Die Cut
- Printing: Offset lithography
- Face value: 84 ¥ – Japanese yen
- Description: stamp from mini-sheet