Two months ago, ground was broken on a new structure to house the 200-year-old Peace Bell at The Carter Center, a non-profit organization in Atlanta founded on the values of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.
The Japan-America Society of Georgia and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Georgia, in cooperation with the Consulate General of Japan in Atlanta and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) office in Atlanta, wanted to ensure the Peace Bell took its proper place as a symbol of both U.S.-Japan economic ties and the lasting friendship between the two nations.
Since the groundbreaking, master artisans from Japan and America have been working to erect a new purpose-built structure based on a traditional Japanese bell tower design. Now, it is completed. The Peace Bell has been removed from an indoor display, where it has sat mute since 1985, and hung in pride of place.
“We can think of no better place in Georgia to build a symbol of enduring friendship between Japan and Georgia than on the grounds of The Carter Center, an organization started by a man who has dedicated his life to ‘waging peace,’” said Jessica Cork, Chair of The Japan-America Society of Georgia.
“From his work while governor to recruit Japanese companies to invest in Georgia, to his multiple visits to Japan, including two trips to Hiroshima, to hosting students from Hiroshima each year in Plains, President Carter has been building bridges between Japan and Georgia his entire career.”
Follow along on the journey from groundbreaking to first ring at the newly created Peace Bell Tower. All images are courtesy of The Japan-America Society of Georgia.
Image: Executive director of the Japan-America Society of Georgia, Yoshi Domoto (left), and master carpenter Noritaka Kondo flank the Peace Bell as originally displayed at The Carter Center.
Image: Groundbreaking of the new bell tower at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 8, 2022. Picture: Michael A. Schwarz.
Image: Master carpenter Noritaka Kondo from Hiroshima planes a beam of wood for the Peace Bell Tower.
Image: Hiroshima carpenters Noritaka Kondo (left) and Daisuke Koyama work on the Peace Bell Tower.
Image: Carpenters Jim Whitcomb (left) and Daisuke Koyama work on the roof structure of the Peace Bell Tower.
Image: Daisuke Koyama, a carpenter from Hiroshima, puts the finishing details on an end-cap to a beam stylized with the figure of a crane.
Image: Teams from America and Japan pose alongside the Peace Bell Tower during construction.
Image: Round gatou tiles cap the end of the eaves to prevent water from returning into the structure and are decorated in a tomoemon motif, an arrangement of swirling water.
Image: The figure of an oni, often translated as an ogre or demon, surmounts the Peace Bell Tower to drive away evil spirits.
Image: The completed Peace Bell Tower at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia, with the Peace Bell suspended at center, sits within the verdant woods.
