Japanese Prefectural Flag Twins - Hiroshima & Kumamoto: Part 10

Flag of Hiroshima

These prefectures align harmoniously by colour and design. The white emblems are stylized Katakana Letters "Hee" for Hiroshima, while Kumamoto uses the letter "Ku."

A geographic coincidence is that they both have the longest shorelines of their inland seas. Hiroshima has the longest inland sea shoreline for Honshu, while Kumamoto also has the longest inland sea shoreline of Kyushu's private inland sea - the Ariake and Yatsushiro Seas.

Flag of Kumamoto


Culturally Hiroshima and Kumamoto bear solemn and sacred landmarks in history. Buddhism teaches that suffering is a part of life - with Hiroshima a great suffering was delivered from beyond with atomic weapons in 1945. 50 years later another tragedy of firsts stuck Japan. Shoko Asahara, a man from Kumamoto, masterminded the Tokyo Sarin Never Gas Attack in 1995. These flags show us that suffering can come from within and beyond. We are often at the mercy of forces grater that ourselves. We must never forget or hide from our folly, rather we should recognize the better element of ourselves that strives to overcome these difficulties and tests. Rather than shame and blame, we must come to better understanding and hope. So the mistakes of the past be not repeated.

Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome
Kept as it was since 1945

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Mug Shot of Japan's
Domestic Terror Leader
from Kumamoto - led 1995 Sarin Terror Subway Attack