The 69th commemorative service for those killed in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings will be observed on Sunday, Aug. 3, from 2 p.m. at the Koyasan Buddhist Temple, located at 342 E. First St. in Little Tokyo.
Bishop Emeritus Taisen Miyata of the temple officiates the service in front of the Hiroshima Peace Flame housed in the temple altar. It is open to the public.
The American Society of Hiroshima/Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors (ASA) will co-sponsor the service in conjunction with “Remembering Sadako: Folding Peace” presented by the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center.
Speical guest speakers will be Dr. Ernest T. Nagamatsu DDS, widely known as an artist and philanthropist in the Los Angeles community; and Masahiro Sasaki, in remembrance of his sister Sadako, who survived the Hiroshima bombing as an infant but died of leukemia 10 years later, becoming a symbol of innocent victims of war.
According to the historical records, the original “Ceaseless Peace Flame” of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was brought to Los Angeles by Mayor Tom Bradley in 1989 and has been housed in the temple since then.
For further information, call Junji Sarashina at (714) 522-5723, Tsuruko Iwohara at (323) 726-7183, Hirokazu Kosaka of the JACCC at (213) 628-2725, or Koyasan Buddhist Temple at (213) 624-1267.