Nagasaki's Atomic-Bomb-Surviving 'Maria Statue' to Visit U.S. for First Time in 16 Years

The "Maria statue," which was left with only its head intact after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, is heading to the United States again for the first time in 16 years.

The trip is intended to spread awareness worldwide of the tragedy of the atomic bombing and the importance of nuclear disarmament, coinciding with the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) review conference to be held in New York, U.S., this November.

According to Kyodo News on the 30th, a delegation to the U.S. consisting of local Catholic clergy and atomic bomb survivors plans to display the Maria statue at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and local churches in the U.S. between November and December, while also holding exchange events with civic groups.

This marks the first time in 16 years that the statue, currently enshrined at Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki, is visiting the U.S. since the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference in 2010.

The statue was discovered in the rubble of Urakami Cathedral, which had been reduced to ashes following the atomic bombing.

Even as the cathedral's beautiful stained glass shattered and the altar was burned, only the wooden head of the Virgin Mary statue retained its form.

Bearing the soot and scars of the atomic devastation, it is called a "silent witness" and has served as a subject in various works of literature and music.

The delegation is composed of Japanese representatives and atomic bomb survivors from the "Partnership for a World Without Nuclear Weapons," established by the Catholic dioceses of Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the United States.

Attention is focused on the statue's trip to the U.S. as concerns grow over the international community rolling back nuclear disarmament, highlighted by the recent expiration of the U.S.-Russia New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) and disruptions at the NPT review conference.

At this first review conference of the TPNW, which entered into force in 2021, the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will attend and deliver speeches, and the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations (Nihon Hidankyo) also plans to dispatch a delegation of survivors.

However, nuclear-armed states and Japan are not participating in the treaty.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.