Himeyuri Tower and Himeyuri Peace Prayer Museum

Overview

Himeyuri Pagoda and Himeyuri Peace Museum is a cenotaph and museum located in Ibara, Itoman City, which conveys the tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa to future generations. Many school excursion students and tourists visit the museum as a place to pray for the repose of the souls of the "Himeyuri Students" who sacrificed their lives in the Battle of Okinawa and to pray for peace.

Himeyuri Pagoda

This cenotaph was erected in 1946, the year after the Battle of Okinawa. It was built on top of the Ihara No. 3 surgical bunker, one of the last sites of the Himeyuri Students Corps, and enshrines the female students who died.

About Himeyuri Students

At the end of March 1945, 222 students and 18 teachers from Okinawa Normal School for Girls and Okinawa Prefectural First Higher Girls' School were mobilized to the Okinawa Army Hospital as nursing personnel. They retreated to the south due to the invasion of the U.S. forces, and after the sudden order to disband on June 18, about 100 of them lost their lives within a few days.

Himeyuri Peace Memorial Museum

Opened on June 23, 1989. Exhibits include artifacts of the students, photographs, video testimonies of survivors, and dioramas that recreate the inside of the Nanpuhara Army Hospital bunker and Ihara 3rd Surgery Bunker.

Information

• Hours: 9:00 - 17:25 (Admission until 17:00) / Open all year round
• Admission: Adults 450 yen, High school students 250 yen, Elementary/Junior high school students 150 yen (discounts available for groups of 20 or more)
• Access: Approx. 30 min. by car from Naha Airport

This is a central facility for learning about the memories of war and the importance of peace, and for learning about the Battle of Okinawa peace.