Bells & Gongs for Peace (&/or International Friendship) Around the World

Short History of Peace Bells: Large bells have existed for centuries, particularly in Asia. A small number of Asian bells was taken to Western countries as art objects (e.g. Geneva 1873, Reading 1907, San Marino 1912) and even as war trophies (e.g. Annapolis 1853, Victoria 1904, Boston 1945, Lexington 1946). Hundreds of Buddhist temple bells were destroyed in Japan during World War II in order to make ship propellers and other military items. As the first of these were replaced immediately after the war, some were called "peace bells" (e.g. Hiroshima 1947 & 1949, Uwajima 1950), and some older bells were renamed retroactively (e.g. Boston 1953, Ohara 1954). Then Japanese bells began to be cast for the express purpose of symbolizing peace (e.g. United Nations 1954, Hiroshima 1964 & 1967, Oahu 1970, Bagac 1975, Nagasaki 1977, Okinawa 1978). This tradition has caught on and spread around the world, as illustrated below. Founded in Tokyo in 1982, the World Peace Bell Asociation (WBBA) has placed 22 World Peace Bells in 15 different countries.

Click here for special webpage about World Peace Bells.
See end of this page for special section about World Peace Gongs.
Click here for "Ray's Bell Page" (including sound of the Inernational Friendship Bell in Oak Ridge, TN).
Click here for "The Martins's Bells of Peace & Freedom."
Click here for webpage about the world's largest bells.

Right click image to enlarge.

1853 - Okinawa Bell (Gokoku-ji), Bancroft Hall, US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland (USA). Commodore Matthew C. Perry [1794-1858] carried an Okinawa temple bell to the USA & proposed that it be mounted atop the Washington Monument (then under construction) in Washington, DC. His widow donated the bell to the US Naval Academy where it was displayed on the grounds (left image circa 1902), then placed just outside Bancroft Hall, the academy's largest building (right image). In 1987, the bell was returned to Okinawa, and a replica now serves at the academy.

1873 - Cloche de Shinagawa / Shinagawa Bell, Ariana Museum, Geneva (Switzerland). "Disparue de son temple au XIXe siècle, puis réapparue dans une fonderie d’Aarau en 1873 et installée dans le parc du Musée Ariana à Genève, la cloche du temple Honsen-ji de Shinagawa a été restituée au Japon par les autorités de la Ville de Genève en 1930. Soixante ans plus tard, en signe de reconnaissance, le temple offre à Genève une réplique de cette fameuse cloche." Replica was cast in 1990 by Oigo Bell Works, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture (Japan), offered to the city of Geneva by the community of the Honsen-ji Temple in Shinagawa, Tokyo (Japan), and installed in Autumn 1991.

1894 - Toki-no-Kane / Bell of Time, Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture (Japan). "A bell tower originally built by the order of Sakai Tadakatsu between 1624 and 1644. The present structure goes back to 1894, a year after the Great Fire of Kawagoe. It is a three-story tower measuring 16 meters in height. The tower has been telling time to the city's residents for 350 years and has been deemed as a symbol of the city. Currently, the bell can be heard four times a day (6 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, and 6 pm.)."

October 24, 1904 - Chinese Temple Bell, Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). Cast between 1641 and 1642, weighs 479 kgs. (954 lbs) and is 1.36 metres tall. Looted by British troops from Funing county in Yunnan province during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, and presented to the City of Victoria by Lt. W.B. Macdonald of H.M.S. Pique. Moved on January 23, 1989, to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

May 5, 1907 - Choshoji Temple Bell, "The Pagoda," Summit Drive, Mt. Penn, Reading, Pennsylvania (USA). "Cast in Obata in 1739 by a man named Mikawaya and presented by him and 47 friends to the Buddhist Temple, Shozenji, at Yakuosan, now part of downtown Tokyo near Hibiya Park." Click here for more information.

1912 - Japanese Temple Bell, Japanese Garden, Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, California (USA). Bell hangs in a nice pavilion in a grden setting.

1918 - "Departure Bell," Maryknoll Mission Seminary, Ossining, New York (USA). "Every year for the past 90 years, Maryknoll has celebrated the sending of our Fathers and Brothers to foreign mission. Departure Day is our enduring tradition." What is the origin of this bell?

1924 - "Maria Dolens" / "Grieving Virgin Mary", Miravalle Hill, Rovereto, Trento (Italy). Largest bell outside Russia and East Asia, and the largest sounding bell in the world. Built under the inspiration of a local priest from bronze obtained by fusing cannons used by all the armies which fought in World War I. The International University of Peoples’ Institutions for Peace (IUPIP) was established in 1993 in Rovereto by the Fondazione Opera Campana dei Caduti / Peace Bell Foundation. Two different bells, or changed mounting?

1936? - Peace Bell, International Friendship Gardens, US Highway 12, Michigan City, Indiana (USA). Before & after deterioration of the frame holding the bell. Second photo by EWL.

1945 - Japanese Temple Bell, near Kelleher Rose Garden, Back Bay Fens, Boston, Massachusetts (USA). "Cast in 1675 by Tanaka Gonzaemon under the supervision of Suzuki Magoemon, and dedicated to Bishamon, a Buddhist god of children and good luck. Contributed to the Japanese war effort in 1940 but ended up on a scrap heap in Yokosuka [naval base]. Sailors from the USS Boston (CA-69) salvaged the bell after WW-II and offered it to the city of Boston in 1945." In October 1953, Kyukichi Anzai, Representative of the Believers' Committee of Manpukuji Temple, Sendai (Japan), presented the bell to Boston "in order to create close friendship between the citizens of Boston and the citizens of Sendai as a link for the attainment of peace in the world." In 1993, "the bell was restored through funding from the Japan Foundation." In September 2004, the bell was knocked over by vandals, then taken to a park department warehouse for safekeeping and cleaning, but it was later restored to its pedestal in Back Bay Fens.

1945? - Japanese Bell, Buena Vista Winery, Sonoma, California (USA). About 18 tall. 'I remember hearing someone say once that it was from the 14th century... It is bronze or brass and heavily oxidized to a lovely blue-green color. One of the former owners of the winery was a bit of a collector and I believe he left it here... His name was Frank Bartholomew..." [Email from the winery, May 2004.] Frank Bartholomew was the first correspondent into Naha, Okinawa, while that city was still under siege in 1945, was on the battleship Missouri when Japan surrendered to end World War II, and was the last correspondent to leave when Shanghai fell to the Communists. He became president of United Press in 1955 and merged it with International News Service (INS) to create United Press Internatonal (UPI) in 1958.

1946 - Japanese Temple Bell, Enger Park, Duluth, Minnesota (USA). Cast in 1686 for Cho-ei Temple in Ohara (now Isumi), Chiba Prefecture (Japan). Brought to Duluth by sailors of the USS Duluth in 1946. Returned to Ohara on May 2, 1954. Now restored and called the Japan-US Friendship Peace Bell. Copy installed in Duluth on June 5, 1994 (qv).

1946 - Dai Sen Zen-ji Bell, Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Lexington, Virginia (USA). Also called the Daishozen-Ji Bell. Cast in 1465, stands three feet high and weighs 450 pounds. "Captured on Okinawa by the 6th Marine Division in June 1945. The soldiers presented the bell to the their Division commander, (then) Maj. Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd, VMI Class of 1917. Shepherd subsequently gave the bell to VMI, where it was displayed on the VMI Post [adjacent to parade field] for several decades. The bell was returned to the Okinawan people in June 1991, at a ceremony attended by VMI Superintendent, Maj. Gen. John W. Knapp." Now displayed in front of Shuri Castle? (Photo taken in 1990.)

1946? - Japanese Temple Bell, Atlanta, Georgia (USA). Cast in 1747 in Tokyo. Found in an Atlanta warehouse. Returned to Jodoji Temple by Rotary Clubs of Atlanta & Yokosuka in May 1961 during ceremony in Yokosuka (Japan). All information from Tuscaloosa News, May 30, 1961. Much more to know about this bell. Where is "Jodoji Temple"? Very likely a WW-II trophy (like other Japanese bells in Duluth, Topeka & Lexington, VA). Too bad it wasn't retained (as in Boston) to symbolize peace or friendshp.

About 1946 - Japanese Temple Bell, Topeka, Kansas (USA). Cast in 1795. Brought from Japan by crew of USS Topeka. Returned to Enkyosan Myokeiji Temple, Shimizu City, in August 1989 during cemony in Topeka. Other information from Lawrence Journal-World, August 26, 1989.

August 5-7, 1947 - Second Anniversary of the Atomic Bomb (third anniversary according to Japanese custom): "The first Peace Festival was held in an open area in Jisenji-no-hana. (This area is now included in Peace Memorial Park). The festival took place around a wooden peace tower which was built for the occasion. After a silent prayer by the people present, the Peace Bell was rung. Then Mayor Hamai took the platform and read aloud to the world the first Peace Declaration." What "peace bell" was used on this occasion, and what happened to it afterwards? Image shows portion of model in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Jisenji-no-hana is the area immediately below T-shaped Aioi Bridge. Photo by EWL.

1949 - Bell of Peace, Tamon-in Temple, near Hijiyama Park (just east of Kyobashi-gawa River), Hiroshima (Japan). Original bell taken by military during World War II. Empty bell tower was among very few wooden structures to survive A-bomb on August 6, 1945. Replacement "Bell of Peace" installed in 1949 is first Japanese peace bell? Image from "A-bombed Structures Speak - The First Special Exhibition of Fy 2008," Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, shows 1949 bell & a beam cracked by the A-bomb blast.

1950 - "The Bell of Banzai for Absolute Peace," Taihei Temple, Uwajima, Ehime, Shikoku Island (Japan). Replaced temple bell seized by military during World War II. Cast (including coins from 26 countries) by Chiyoji Nakagawa [1905-1972], mayor of Uwajima 1959-1967 and 1971-1972. Original peace bell and model for Japanese Peace Bell at the United Nations. Right image is a miniature of the real bell.

June 8, 1954 - Japanese Peace Bell, West Court Garden, Secretariat Building, United Nations (UN), New York City, New York (USA). Cast (including coins & metal from about 60 UN member countries) by Chiyoji Nakagawa [1905-1972] on October 24, 1952, at "the Tada Factory" (Japan). Gift to the UN from the UN Assn. of Japan. Rung on the Vernal Equinox and on 21 September to coincide with the opening of the UN General Assembly and the International Day of Peace. Click here for Wikipedia article. Entry #756 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001). Click here for Japanese website about the bell.

December 11, 1960 - Yokohama Friendship Bell, Shelter Island, San Diego, California, USA. Gift from sister city Yokohama (Japan) to the City of San Diego. Designed by Masahiko Katori [1899-1988].

1961 - Thai Bell, John Wilson District Building, Federal Triangle, Pennsylvania Avenue at 14th Street, Washington, DC (USA). Presented to the people of Washington by the people of sister city Bangkok (Thailand).

1961 - "Japanese temple bell of peace and friendship," just west of the Iowa Judicial Building on the south side of Court Avenue, State Capitol grounds, Des Moines, Iowa, USA. Gift from Prefecture of Yamanashi (Japan) to the State of Iowa in gratitude for agricultural relief in 1959. Cast by Oigo Bell Works, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture (Japan). Photo by EWL.

1962 - Kobe Bell, near Intiman Playhouse, Seattle Center (former world's fair grounds), Seattle, Washington, USA. Gift from sister city Kobe (Japan) to the City of Seattle at time of the Seattle World's Fair (also know as the Century 21 Exposition).

September 20, 1964 - Hiroshima Peace Bell, Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima (Japan). Large bell, permanently outdoors. Surface of the bell is a map of the world. Its "sweet spot" is an atomic symbol. Designed by Masahiko Katori [1899-1988]. Cast by Oigo Bell Works, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture (Japan). Middle image shows Ram Uppuluri of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, at the bell on July 15, 1993. Middle image by Herman Postma.

1967 - Hiroshima Peace Bell, Peace Memorial Museum (East Building), Hiroshima (Japan). Small bell, displayed indoors (left image), and rung outdoors (right image) during the annual Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6 (Hiroshima Day). Designed by Masahiko Katori [1899-1988]. Has calliraphy by Shigeru Yoshida, former prime minister of Japan. Cast by Oigo Bell Works, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture (Japan). Left image Satoko Nishizawa (Kyoto Boys Choir).

1968 - Campana de Dolores / Bell of Dolores, Los Angeles, California (USA). Replica of the associated with Mexican independence. "Actualmente, la Campana de Dolores se encuentra en la alta cornisa del balcón presidencial de Palacio Nacional, junto al Zócalo de la Ciudad de México. Cada 15 de septiembre el presidente en turno la hace sonar, en conmemoración del aniversario del inicio del proceso independentista mexicano"

1970 Japanese Peace Bell from United Nations in New York City is displayed for six months in the UN pavilion at Expo '70, Expo Memorial Park, Osaka (Japan). The bell is rung every day at Noon. Third image shows Tower of the Sun in Expo Memorial Park.

About 1970 - Peace Bell, Byodo-In Temple, Valley of the Temples, Oahu Island, Hawaii (USA). This temple was completed June 7, 1968, and is a replica of Byodo-in Temple which was originally built in 998 in the city of Uji, Kyoto Prefecture (Japan). Another replica served as Japan's official exhibit at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

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April 8, 1975 - Friendship Tower, Bagac (Philippines). Built by Rissho Kosei-kai of Japan as a sign of friendship and peace between the Philippines and Japan. Helps mark the places where the Bataan Death March started in 1942 (one in Bagac and the other in Mariveles). Dedication coincided with date on which Rissho Kosei-kai celebrates the birth of the Buddha Shakyamuni, founder of Buddhism.

1975 - Bell, Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots, Chiran (Japan). On site of the former Chiran Air Base.

1976 - Carilion Bell Tower, International Peace Garden, Dunseith, North Dakota (USA), and Boissevain, Manitoba (Canada). Constructed by North Dakota veterans as a US Bicentennial project. Contains bells made in England in 1932 but not donated to the Peace Garden until 1969.

October 3, 1976 - Korean Bell of Friendship, Angel's Gate Recreation Center, 3601 South Gaffey Street, San Pedro, California (USA). Near Los Angeles (whose sister city in Korea is Pusan). Gift from Korea to the people of the USA for the US bicentennial. Entry #80 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1977 - Nagasaki Peace Bell, Hill of Yamazato, Nagasaki (Japan). Western style bell from Urakami Cathedral which survived the A-bomb blast on August 9, 1945.

October 1, 1978 - Okinawa Peace Bell, Peace Memorial Hall, Mabuni Hill, Okinawa (Japan). Donated by Lions International Club #337.

October 14, 1979 - Bell of Dana, Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, 815 East First Street, Los Angeles, California (USA). Donated by Mr. Yehan Numata of Toko, Japan. Weighs 2,500 pounds, is 3'2" in diameter and 4'6" high. Commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of this nation. Bell tower constructed as part of the temple's 75th anniversary commemoration.

1981 - World Peace Bell, World Peace Bell Park, Shravasti, Uttar Pradesh (India). "This is a large metallic Bell gifted to India by Japan in 1981 to be erected in the sacred Buddhist city of Shravasti." Not connectd to World Peace Bell Association (qv).

Date? - Bell of Peace, Indosan Nipponji / Japanese Temple, BodhGaya, Gaya District, Bihar, (India).

1982 - World Peace Bell Association (WPBA), 2-36-1-701, Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo (Japan). Founded by Tomijiro Yoshida (President of Life Co., Ltd.) to carry on the work of Chiyoji Nakagawa [1905-1972] and Masahiro Kataoka [d.1983]. The WPBA will place 20 World Peace Bells (WPB's) in 16 countries around the world. Three more bells remain at the foundry in Takahoka (Japan). Click here for the history of all 23 WPB's.

1985 - Hiroshima Peace Bell, Izumo Taisha Mission, North Kukui Street, Honolulu, Hawaii (USA). Said to be a replica of the Hiroshima Peace Bell. Hiroshima & Honolulu are sister cities. Both cities suffered from aerial bombardment during World War II.

1985? - Japanese Bell, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, California (USA). A 2100-pound 16th-century Japanese bronze bell from a temple in Tajima Province -- present day Hyogo Prefecture (Japan). Ceremonially rung 108 times on New Year's Eve.

1985? - Millenium Bell, Yellow Crane Tower Park, Snake Mountain, Wuhan (China). In center of city overlooking theTangtze River.

August 9, 1985 - Nagasaki Peace Bell, Art Room, Richland Public Library, Richland, Washington (USA), city adjacent to Hanford Nuclear Site where the plutonium was produced which fueled the Trinity Test on July 16 and the Nagasaki bomb on August 9, 1945. Miniature of western style bell from Urakami Cathedral. Gift by the Mayor of Nagasaki (Japan) to the City of Richland on the 40th anniversary of the atomic bombing.

	1986 - Pacific Bell, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada). Designed by Masahiko Katori [1899-1988]. Dedicated by Yasuhiro Nakasone, Prime Minister of Japan.
	June 1, 1988 - Nagasaki Peace Bell, Piskarevsky Memorial Cemetery, St. Petersburg (Russia). Western style bell. "Gift from the Nagasaki people to Leningrad." In 1985, the USSR erected a "Statue of Peace" in Nagasaki's Peace Symbols Zone (qv).

June 18, 1988 - World Peace Bell #1, Peace Park, Soya Misaki / Cape Soya, Wakkanai, Hokkaido (Japan). Extreme north end of Japan. Adjacent to about ten other monuments, including memorial for Korea Airlines flight 007. Click here to see Roy Sinclair from New Zealand at the bell in February 2001.

December 10, 1988 - World Peace Bell #2, Peace Loving Citizens Park, Ishigaki Island, Okinawa (Japan). Extreme south end of Japan.

August 26, 1989 - World Peace Bell #3, Cinnah Caddesi, Cankaya, Ankara (Turkey). Scan courtesy of WPBA.

September 1, 1989 - Weltfrieden / World Peace Bell #4, Friedrichstain, Volkspark, Berlin (Germany).

September 2, 1989 - World Peace Bell #5, Warsaw Municipal Park, Warsaw (Poland).

February 1990 - Sapporo Bell, Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon, (USA). Gift from City of Sapporo, Hokkaido (Japan), to the City of Portland "in commoration of 30 years of sisterhood." Cast by Sotetsu Iwasawa, Iwasawa no Bonsho Co., Ltd., Kyoto (Japan). Rung electronically with bell from sister city Ulsan (South Korea) in sequence written by Robert Coburn.

April 1, 1990 - World Peace Bell, Tsurumi Ryokuchi Park (site of Expo '70), Osaka (Japan). Installed & dedicated during Flower Expo '90. Visited by the Emperor & Empress on April 23, 1990.

About 1990 - Bell, Gardena Buddhist Church, 1517 West 166th Street, Gardena (near Los Angeles), California (USA). Related to Gardena's sister city Ichikawa (a suburb of Tokyo), Chiba Prefecture (Japan). Cast by Sotetsu Iwasawa, Iwasawa no Bonsho Co., Ltd., Kyoto (Japan).

About 1990 - Friendship Bell, Washington State Convention & Trade Center, Seattle, Washington (USA). Gift from Yosoji Kobayashi, President of Nippon Television Network Corp. (NHK) and the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper chain (which buys newsprint from the State of Wshington).

October 4, 1990 - Campana de la Paz / World Peace Bell, Parque Lira, Tacubaya, Mexico City (Mexico). Photo by EWL.

December 7, 1990 - Nagasaki Peace Bell, Honolulu Hale (City Hall), Honolulu, Hawaii (USA). Western style bell. Photo shows release of doves in mourning for loss of life due to the collision of the submarine USS Greenville with the Japanese fishing boat Ehime Maru on February 9, 2001.

Date? - El Hombre de la Paz Universal / Man of Univesal Peace, Av. Insurgentes, Mazatlan, Nayarit (Mexico). A towering golden figure holding a bell over his head. The plaque at his feet reads: "Hacer el bien produce buena suerte / To do good produces good luck."

September 15, 1992 - World Peace Bell , Cowra Civic Square, Cowra, New South Wales (Australia). There was a POW camp for Japanese and Italian military personnel in Cowra during World War II. On August 5, 1944 at least 545 Japanese POWs attempted a mass breakout from the camp, in perhaps the largest prison escape in world history. Japanese go there to visit the graves of family members.

April 27, 1993 - World Peace Bell, Sukhbaatar Square, Ulan Bator (Mongolia).

June 5, 1994 - Ohara Peace Bell, Enger Park, Duluth, Minneasota (USA). Cast by Oigo Bell Works, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture (Japan). Commemorates sister city relationship with Ohara (now Isumi), Chiba Prefecture (Japan). Replaces bell cast in 1686 for Cho-ei Temple in Ohara which was brought to Duluth by sailors of the USS Duluth in 1946 and returned to Ohara on May 2, 1954. Right image is the original bell (now called the Japan-US Friendship Peace Bell). Middle image shows children's book about the bell by Margi Preus (2008). The story is also told in Resonance, a film by Square Lake Productons, Stillwater, Minnesota (USA).

December 10, 1994 - World Peace Bell, Quezon Memorial Park, Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City (Phillippines). Inaugurated at dawn on Human Rights Day by President Ramos.

1995 - Children's Bell Tower, Bodega Bay, California (USA). By Bruce Hasson, founder of the "Bell Project" which promotes world peace by using melted-down firearms to cast bells which incorporate images of nonviolence and environmental concerns.

August 9, 1995 - Nagasaki Peace Bell, Hiroshima City University, Hiroshima (Japan). Miniature replica of the Western style bell from Urakami Cathedral which survived the A-bomb blast on August 9, 1945. Presented by Rengo Nagasaki to Rengo Hiroshima on 50th anniversary of the Nagasaki bomb. Click here to see peace monuments in Nagasaki.

Date? - Nagasaki Peace Bell, Peace Memorial Museum (East Building), Hiroshima (Japan). Miniature replica of the Western style bell from Urakami Cathedral which survived the A-bomb blast on August 9, 1945. Presented by Hiroshima-Nagasaki City Affiliation of Peace & Culture. Click here to see peace monuments in Nagasaki. Photo by EWL.

1995 - United Nations Peace Bell, Vienna International Centre (VIC), Vienna (Austria). Cast in Japan.

August 26, 1995 - "Prayer for Peace" Monument, Side of Mt. Sobo, Takachiho, Kyushu Island (Japan). Marks site of crash on August 30, 1945, by B-29 attempting to drop relief supplies at Miyata POW Camp #12.

April 1996 - Peace Bell (Bonsho), Gan Sacker / Sacher Park, Nahlaot, Jerusalem (Israel). Presented to the city as a symbol of everlasting peace [by whom?]. Engraved with the quote from Psalms: "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. They shall prosper that love thee as well."

May 3, 1996 - International Friendship Bell, Oak Ridge, Tennessee (USA). Represents 50th anniversary of the City of Oak Ridge. Paid for in part by contributions by the people of sister city Naka-Machi (Japan). Only inscriptions on the bell are PEACE, INTERNATIONAL FRIENDSHIP, and the dates of Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and VJ Day. Bell cast by Sotetsu Iwasawa, Iwasawa no Bonsho Co., Ltd., Kyoto (Japan). Pavilion designed by Professor Jon Coddington. To hear this bell click here.

November 4, 1996 - World Peace Bell, City Hall, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada). Scan courtesy of WPBA.

April 27, 1997 - World Peace Bell, International Holistic University, Brasilia (Brazil). Offered after a visit to Japan by Pierre Weil [1924-2008], founder of International University for Peace (UNIPAZ) & City of Peace Foundation. Scan courtesy of WPBA.

October 12, 1997 - Friedenslocke des Alpenraumes / Peace Bell of the Alpine Region , Hotel Habhof, Moesern bei Seefeld, Upper Inntal valley (Austria). Second image shows spectacular view from the bell of the Inntal Valley.

February 3, 1998 - Campana de la Paz Mundial / World Peace Bell, Japanese Garden Center, Buenos Aires (Argentina). Commemorates centennial of peace between Brazil & Japan.

May 19, 1998 - La Cloche de la Paix / Peace Bell, Japanese Garden, Montréal Botanical Gardens, 4101 Sherbrooke Street East, Montréal, Québec (Canada). "Created from an original design by Masahiko Katori [1899-1988], modelled on the Hiroshima bell." Presented by the Hon. Takashi Hiraoka, Mayor of Hiroshima, after signing a sister city agreement between the two cities. Entry #1357 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1998 - Bell of Peace ("Hirarillon"), Okahigashi Cho Park, Hirakata?, Osaka (Japan). Carillon (Western-style bells) and monument depicting the legend of separated lovers, the stars Vega and Altair (right image).

November 11, 1998 - Northern Ireland Peace Bell, Páirc Síochána d'Oileán na h'Éireann / Island of Ireland Peace Park, Mesen / Messines, near Ypres, Flanders (Belgium).

February 17, 1999 - Campana de la Paz Mundial / World Peace Bell, Parque La Carolina, Quito (Ecuador).

1999 - Bell of Peace, International Centre of Culture (The Pyramid), Boulevard Deshmoret e Kombit, Tirana (Albania). "Made as a memorial to peace by the children of Shkodra. Its metal comes from thousands of bullet cartridges, fired off during the lawless 1990's." "Originally the mausoleum for Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha [1908-1985], the Pyramid has seen the eviction of Hoxha's corporeal remains and the burgeoning of Albania's interest in the culture and arts."

September 25, 1999 - Bell of World Peace, Taipei (Taiwan). Conceived by Dr. Hong Tao Tze, President of the Federation of World Peace & Love (FOWPAL). Bell has traveled all over the world and has been photographed with many world leaders.

December 31, 1999 - World Peace Bell, Newport, Kentucky (USA) -- just across Ohio River from Cincinnatti, Ohio. "World's largest free-swinging bell." Dedicated on the eve of the new millenium. Cast in France in 1998 for the Verdin Company of Cincinnatti. Not related to World Peace Bell Association (qv). Entry #355 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001). Click here for air view.

December 31, 1999 - American Freedom Bell, 3500 Shamrock Drive, Charlotte (North Carolina). Seven feet tall, seven feet wide, and weighing seven tons. "World's largest bell at ground level." Dedicated on the eve of the new millenium. "Jewish conceived" (i.e. largely paid for by the Belk department store fortune). Between the new Charlotte Museum of History and the old (1774) Hezekiah Alexander rock house. "Marks Charlotte as the first focus of freedom from Britain with its Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence publicly signed [in 1775] 14 months before the Philadelphia document."

January 1, 2000 - Peace Bell, Imjinjak Park, Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) (Korea). Over 7 feet in diameter, over 12 feet tall & weighs 21 tons. "As we bid farewell to the 20th Century in which we witnessed the division of the Korean Peninsula, we welcome the 21st Century as a time of reunification and peace for all makind."

January 15, 2000 - Peace Bell, Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Building (west entrance), 2180 Milvia Street, Berkeley, California (USA). Cast from melted guns for the 50th anniversary of the UN Charter (signed in the War Memorial Building in nearby San Francisco) by Bruce Hasson, founder of the "Bell Project" which promotes world peace by using melted-down firearms to cast bells which incorporate images of nonviolence and environmental concerns. Rung at the War Memorial Building by Attorney General Janet Reno.

February 5, 2000 - World Peace Bell, Evergreen Taoist Religious Order, near Brisbane, Queensland (Australia). Chinese shape. "A symbol of freedom peace & human rights."

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About 2000 - Peace Bell, Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance (OREPA), Oak Ridge, Tennessee (USA). Portable bell made from war surplus osygen tank. Used during protests at the Y-12 National Security Complex. Photo shows Motoko Fujishiro Huthwaite (Moderator of Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of Detroit) ringing the bell at the OREPA protest on August 6, 2009 (Hiroshima Day).

Date? - Korean War Memorial, Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, Phoenix, Arizona (USA). Across the street from the Arizona state house. "A stylized pagoda with a ceremonial temple bell weighing approximately two tons." Bell probably made in Korea.

Fall 2000 - Nagasaki Peace Bell, Red Church, Nezalezhnastsi/Independence Square, Minsk (Bealrus). Western style bell as at Urakami Cathedral. Named "Angel." Gift to the Red Church & Belarussian people by diocese of the Roman Catholic Church of Nagasaki (Japan).

December 15, 2000 - "Marca da Paz / Mark of Peace" (Peace Bell), downtown, Sao Paulo (Brazil). Plaque: "This landmark symbolizes the ideal of all people in the search of peace, fraterinty and solidarity."

January 26, 2001 - World Peace Bell, Maguire Gardens, Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles, California (USA).

2001 - Peace Bell, Centre of the Peacemaze, Castlewellan Forest Park, Castlewellan, Dounty Down (Northern Ireland).

November 11, 2001 - Ring of Peace, First United Methodist Church, Beech & 2nd Streets, Casper, Wyoming (USA). By Chris Navarro. "You may remember that Matthew Shepherd, a young gay man, was murdered by homophobes in Laramie, Wyoming, in the late 1990s. There's nothing in Laramie to commemorate him, but if you visit the website his parents created, they recommend you see a statue called the Ring of Peace in Casper, that's dedicated first to Matthew, and also to the victims of the Columbine shootings [and 9/11]... a nice idea, but it's just sad how run down and crappy it looks. It was possible for me to take a nice picture of it, but only if I was very careful to crop out almost all the surroundings."

Date? - Peace Carillion, Shinjuku-Chuo Park / Shinjuku Central Park, Shinjuku, Tokyo (Japan). About one block northwest of Tokyo Municipal Building. Twelve bells ranging from the smallest at the bottom to the largest at the top. Visited by EWL 10/08.

2002 - Peace Bell, International Christian University (ICU), Minato-ku, Tokyo (Japan). Western bell in tall bell tower.

September 11, 2002 - "Bell of Hope," Trinity Church, 79 Broadway (at Wall Street), New York City, New York (USA). Inscribed, "To the greater glory of God and in recognition of the enduring links between the City of London and the city of New York." Cast July 26, 2002, by Whitechapel Bell Foundry which cast the Liberty Bell in 1752. Weighs 294.84 kilograms.

February 2003 - Campana de la Paz / World Peace Bell, Alcobendas, Madrid (Spain). Photo courtesy of WPBA.

April 21, 2003 - World Peace Bell, Babur Culture and Recreation Park, Tashkent (Uzbekistan). Photo courtesy of Anatoly Ionesov.

June 20-October 2003 - Topiary Hiroshima Peace Bell, Mosaicultures Internationales / Mosaiculture International (3rd annual), Old Port, Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Temporary monument made of living plants.

2003 - Liberty Bell, The Highground Veterans Memorial Park, Neillsville, Wisconsin (USA). An exact replica of the original Liberty Bell. Cast in France, mounted on a trailer, and taken to thousands of schools throughout the USA. Now housed in an authentic timber frame building made by Master Timber Framer Lyle Lindholm and volunteers.

September 11, 2003 - Peace Bell, Veterans Park, Ridgefield, New Jersey (USA). Community response to the terrorist attack in nearby New York City on September 11, 2001.

December 12, 2003 - Peace Bell, "Memorial Hall for Compatriots Killed in the Nanjing Massacre," Nanjing, Jiangsu Province (China). Dedicated one day before the 66th anniversary of the Nanjing massacre. Model of this bell is in the Kyoto Museum for World Peace, Kyoto (Japan).

Date? - Gong Perdamaian Dunia / World Peace Gong, Mount Muria, Jepara, Indonesia). Original WPG. Made world tour.

June 8, 2004 - 50th anniversary of the Japanese Peace Bell at UN Headquarters in New York, New York (USA). A series of commemorative UN postage stamps is issued on June 3.

August 4, 2004 - Peace Bell, Mountain Spirit Center (MSC), 8400 Juniper Way, Tehachapi, California (USA). Founded in 1993, MSC is a Korean Zen Buddhist temple affiliated with the Kwan Um School of Zen, founded in America by Zen Master Seung Sahn.

August 24, 2004 - Gong Perdamaian Dunia / World Peace Gong #1 (WPG#1), City Park, Penglai, Shandong (Republic of China). First permanent WPG.

May 29, 2005 - Kushinagar World Peace Bell, Nirvana Temple, Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh (India). Kushinagar is an important Buddhist pilgrimage site and where Gautama Buddha died. "Nirvana Temple is one of the most frequented amongst Buddhism shrines in the world."

September 2005 - World Peace Bell, Motohama Ryokuchi Park, Amagasaki, Hyougo Prefecture (Japan), near Osaka.

October 3, 2006 - World Peace Bell, Botanic Garden, Hagley Park, Christchurch (New Zealand). "Came about through the initiative of Christchurch resident Roy Sinclair who in 2004 made an epic 3,500 km bike ride the length of Japan." Click here to see Roy Sinclair at the WPB in Wakkanai in February 2001 [sic].

September 11, 2006 - Gong Perdamaian Dunia / World Peace Gong #2 (WPG #2), Gandhi Smriti, Birla Bhavan / Birla House, New Delhi (India). Second permanent WPG. Vistited by EWL.

August 4, 2007 - World Peace Bell, Hieizan Enryaku-ji Temple, Mount Hiei, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture (Japan), near Kyoto. Dedicated at 20th annual Interreligious Gathering of Prayer for World Peace sponsored by "Nihon Shukyo Daihyosha Kaigi" (Japanese Conference of Religions). Nearby rival, Onjoji (Miidera) Temple, has the temple bell alleged to have been stolen (and returned) by mythic warior monk Benkei [1155-1189].

April 15, 2008 - Gong Perdamaian Dunia / World Peace Gong (WPG), Godollo, Magyarország (Hungary).

Date? - Gong Perdamaian Dunia / World Peace Gong (WPG), City? (Mozambique).

May 21, 2008 - Peace Bell, Áras an Uachtaráin, Phoenix Park, Dublin (Republic of Ireland). The bell, dating from the 19th C, is suspended from a central piece of oak from the grounds of Áras an Uachtaráin, and supported by two oak trunks, one from Shane's Castle Demesne, County Antrim, the other from the Glencairn/Leopardstown Park Hospital area. Marks the 10th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Áras an Uachtaráin is the former Viceregal Lodge and is the official residence of the President of the Republic of Ireland.

May 26, 2009 - World Peace Bell, World Peace Bell Park, Hwacheong-un, Gangwon Province (South Korea). "A bell praying for world peace is to resonate in this, the world's last divided country [sic]. Made from empty cartridge cases from battlefields all over the world. The park spans 7,450 square meters [sic] in a region where remnants of historical conflict remain. In the 1980's, the Chun Doo-hwan regime needed a countermeasure against possible deliberate flooding by North Korea via the Mt. Geumgang Dam, and even collected funds from citizens to build the Peace Dam. But as the northern threat slackened, construction was called off and then on again. It was finally completed in 2005." Not associated with the World Peace Bell Association (WPBA) of Tokyo (Japan)..

Future - Three World Peace Bells, Oigo Bell Works, Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture (Japan). Cast for the World Peace Bell Association (WPBA) of Tokyo (Japan). In storage outside building in which they were cast and awaiting placement somewhere abroad. Photo by EWL taken October 3, 2008.

Future - World Memorial, New York, New York (USA). "Throughout centuries, bells have been the universal voice for freedom, celebration and loss. Let's host in true Manhattan style, the world's largest, 100-ton, manual carillon – of unprecedented seven octaves. Each bell represents a nation that lost a citizen in the WTC tragedy. In consultation with World Peace Bell, Verdin Foundry (one of the oldest family business in America), NY area representative Scott Edgell, Schulmerich Carillons, and the North American Guild of Carillonneurs, 82 harmonically-paired bells (totaling over 100 tons), would chime quarterly and offer live performances for public ceremonies and celebrations. During anniversary ceremonies, 9/11 family members and distinguished guests may individually toll the 42,000-pound base bell. This 11-ft diameter bell is mounted at waist level, between the two WTC corner columns. Its extraordinary size and placement invites visitors to touch the beautiful inscriptions."

World Peace Bell (WPB):

Inspired by the 1954 peace bell at the United Nations in New York City, the World Peace Bell Association (WPBA), Tokyo (Japan) -- Tomijiro Yoshida, President -- has placed 20 World Peace Bells in 16 different countries. All World Peace Bells are shown above in chronological order. Also click here for special webpage about World Peace Bells.

Gong Perdamaian Dunia / World Peace Gong (WPG):

Hard to determine number & location of permanent gongs since one or more gongs are exhibited temporarily in different locations. All World Peace Gongs are shown above and below in chronological order. Click here for website of the World Peace Committee, sponsor of the World Peace Gong (WPG).

	Date? - Mount Muria, Jepara, Indonesia). Original WPG. Made world tour.		August 24, 2004 - WPG #1, City Park, Penglai, Shandong (Republic of China). First permanent WPG.
	September 11, 2006 - WPG #2, Gandhi Smriti, Birla Bhavan / Birla House, New Delhi (India). Second permanent WPG. Visited by EWL.		April 15, 2008 - Godollo, Magyarország (Hungary).
	Date? - (Mozambique).		November 22, 2008 - Gong Perdamaian Dunia / World Peace Gong (WPG), Patuxay, Vientiane (Laos).

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