Peace Poles & World Peace Prayer (Very Limited Selection)

Click here for the Wikipedia article on peace poles.
Click here for translation of Wikipedia article about Masahisa Goi [1916-1980].
Click here for webpage about Masahisa Goi [1916-1980].
Click here for website of Byakko Shinko Kai, Fuji Sanctuary, Asagiri Plateau (Japan).
Click here for one website of World Peace Prayer Society, World Peace Sanctuary, Wassaic, New York (USA).
Click here for another website of World Peace Prayer Society, World Peace Sanctuary, Wassaic, New York (USA).
Click here for website of Peace Pole Makers USA, Maple City, Michigan (USA).
Click here for images of selected peace poles on Waymarking.com website.
Click here for peace poles in Israel & Palestine. | Click here for peace poles on university & college campuses.

Right click image to enlarge.

Date? - Byakko Shinko Kai, Hijirigaoka / Holly Hill, Ichikawa city, Tokyo (Japan). Founded by Masahisa Goi [1916-1980]. Moved in 1998 to the Fuji Sanctuary (qv), and all of its original structures were removed.

1955 - World Peace Prayer Society, founded in Japan by Masahisa Goi [1916-1980]. "The World Peace Prayer Society was incorporated in New York in 1988 as a nonprofit organization, and in 1990 it was recognized as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) associated with the Department of Public Information at the United Nations." See World Peace Sanctuary (1991).

1985 - Peace Pole Makers USA, 7221 South Wheeler Road, Maple City, Michigan (USA). Click here for an anticle about Peace Pole Makers USA (Fall 2000). Click here for a YouTube video of a visit to Peace Pole Makers USA (July 2008).

1987 - Seaforth Peace Park & Fountain, Burrard Street Bridge (south end), Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada). Click here for air view.

Date? - World Peace Pond, Swayambhu Temple (Nepal). Wall of the pond bears the prayer "May Peace Prevail on Earth." Tourists call this the "money temple" because of its many free ranging monkeys.

1989 – Peace Circle, Knudsen Elementary School, Waterford, Michigan (USA). Daily assembly of school children around a peace pole and a US flag.

October 29, 1989 - Peace Pole," Miami Memorial Garden, Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters (OLVM), Victory Noll Center, 1900 West Park Drive, Huntington, Indiana (USA). Honors the Miami Indians "who once claimed Indiana as their homeland." "Carved by Sr. Mary Joan Ginsterblum, OLVM, from a large blue spruce topped during a wind storm. Base of the pole depicts the Wabash River with fish and cattails. The leaves of the oak, tulip, and sycamore trees and the grapevine are all native plants. The turtles, otter tails (thin diamond shapes around the top) and the head and neck of the crane are clan and tribal symbols. The peace prayer is in English and Spanish. “PEHKOKIA,” the Miami word for peace, is inscribed around the top of the pole. The rock on top of the pole was found on the grounds of Victory Noll."

1989 (and later) – Series of Peace Poles throughout Atlanta, Georgia (USA). Each pole proclaims "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in multiple languages. A project of Partnerships in Peace (PIP). Several of the poles were erected just in time for the Olympic Games in the Summer of 1996.

1991 - World Peace Sanctuary, World Peace Prayer Society, 26 Benton Road, Wassaic, Dutchess County, New York (USA). "Occupies 154 acres. The office building [left image] was renovated from a cow barn to an office which now serves as the international headquarters of the World Peace Prayer Society, the Peace Pole Project & Peace Pals International [for children]. The annual 'A Call To Peace' gathering is presented in the Sacred Grove [right image]. [The gathering] celebrates the International Day of Peace [with] highlighting ceremonies & rituals to bless the Native American Nations, the 50 US States & its territories & the countries of the world in a colorful procession of flag Ceremonies." Entry #626 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

1991 - Peace Path, World Peace Sanctuary, World Peace Prayer Society, 26 Benton Road, Wassaic, New York (USA). "Lined with Peace Poles on both sides, representing each of the 192 UN member nations in the world." Entry #626 in the "Peace Movement Directory" by James Richard Bennett (2001).

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1918 - Allenby Bridge, Jordan River (between Palestine & Jordan). Connects Jericho in the West Bank to the Kingdom of Jordan. It is currently the designated exit/entry point for Palestinians residing in the West Bank traveling to and from Jordan to the West Bank and Israel. The original bridge was built in 1918 over a remnant of an old Ottoman colonial era bridge by the British General Edmund Allenby [1861-1936]. It was destroyed once in the Night of the Bridges operation by Palmach at June 16, 1946. It was destroyed again during the Six-Day War [in June 1967], but was replaced in 1968 with a temporary truss-type bridge. This bridge is still called the Allenby Bridge by Israelis, although it is also known as Al-Karameh Bridge to Palestinian Arabs, and the King Hussein Bridge to Jordanians. In the late 1990's, and subsequent to the Israel-Jordan peace treaty [on October 26, 1994], a new modern paved crossing was constructed adjacent to the older wooden one with the aid of the Japanese Government. This new structure is currently used exclusively." /// Lower image shows Peace Pole at the bridge in 1993.

P O L E

S T A R

1993 - Peace Monument, Bona Espero / Good Hope, Alto Paraiso de Goias (Brazil). 155 miles north of Brasilia. Inscribed Ke La Paco Regu La Mondon / May Peace Prevail on Earth (as on all Peace Poles). "Our Peace Monument which I built together with the children here in [Bona Espero] a large school-farm in Brazil in 1993 on invitation of Esperanto Peacemakers in Hiroshima. We are volunteers since 1974 in an Educational Esperanto Institution, where we protect & teach victimized children. We are all volunteers from different countries but without any communication problem, as we all, inclusive the children, use Esperanto. My wife Ursula (german) and me (italian) are also Rotarians, & at this moment I am the secretary of the Esperanto Rotarian Fellowship [Rotaria Amikaro De Esperanto (RADE)], present in all yearly R.I. Conventions. Rotarians from all over the world visit us for periods of volunteering in a wounderful wave of solidarity. We admire your very important challenge to do your part for a peaceful world! Congratulations! At your disposal for any future necessary information, Rotariamente, Giuseppe Grattapaglia" [by email 25Mar12]. Left photo courtesy of Giuseppe Grattapaglia.

1996 - Peace Garden, Seattle Center, Seattle, Washington (USA). "A quiet place of contemplation. Included in the site, just west of the Space Needle Turnaround, is a Peace Pole (one of hundreds located around the world by the Goi Peace Foundation of Tokyo, Japan); The Conflict Resolution Table, designed by the teenagers of the Seattle Center Peace Academy; the Aki Kurose rock (honoring Aki Kurose [1925-1998], a Japanese American educator and peace activist, in 2002) and the Middle East Peace sculpture installed in 2003. The garden was created by Seattle Center staff with a varied combination of materials including the cobblestones from the original International Fountain."

1998 - Fuji Sanctuary, Byakko Shinko Kai, Asagiri Plateau (Japan). Byakko was founded in Tokyo by Masahisa Goi [1916-1980]. Its headquarters at Hijirigaoka / Holly Hill, Tokyo, were moved in 1998 to the Fuji Sanctuary, and all of the Tokyo structures were removed.

March 1999 – Goi Peace Foundation, Heiwa Daiichi Building, 1-4-5 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (Japan). "The Goi Peace Foundation was established in Tokyo in 1999 with the approval of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan... [The foundation] cooperates closely with the World Peace Prayer Society through shared projects and networks..."

About 1999 - Four Peace Poles, Education Building, East Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, Bellevue, Washington (USA). Four peace poles support the portico of the church's Religious Education (RE) building. Information courtesy of Wenda Collins 06Feb11.

P O L E

April 22, 1999 - Peace Pole, Hill of Megiddo Megiddo (Israel). With "May peace prevail on earth" in Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic & English. Planted by Megiddo Project/Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice, Ann Arbor, Michigan (USA). Har Megiddo (Armageddon) is an ancient crossroads of Egypt, Europe & Persia, a tell (hill or mound) made of 26 layers of the ruins of ancient cities at the head of a pass through the Carmel Ridge, which overlooks the Valley of Jezreel. In 1964, Pope Paul VI met with President Zalman Shazar, PM Levi Eshkol & other Israeli dignitaries in Megiddo.

P O L E

Date? - Peace Pole, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee (Israel). "The town is cited in the Gospel of Luke where it was reported to have been the home of the apostles Peter, Andrew, James and John, as well as the tax collector Matthew. In Matthew 4:13 the town was reported to have been the home of Jesus. According to Luke 4:31-44, Jesus taught in the synagogue in Capernaum on Sabbath... In March 2000, John Paul II visited the ruins of Capernaum during his visit to Israel."

P O L E

Date? - Peace Pole, Givat Haviva Educational Institute, Menashe, Northern Sharon Valley (Israel). "The leadership of Hashomer Hatzair movement from the USA & Canada, in Israel on a seminar with the World Movement leadership & Israeli counterparts, & accompanied by Israeli movement emissaries Yaniv Sagee & Doron Erez, spent some time visiting a few interesting corners of the Givat Haviva campus with Lydia & chance for a photo around the pole for peace planted by the library by members of a Japanese peace organization some years ago."

P O L E

September 25, 1999 - Peace Pole, Gaza Strip (Palestine). "With the hands of Hagit Ra'anan (the Israeli peace & human rights activist), Barbara Wolf (the American activist) and numbers of Palestinian peace & human rights activists, the peace pole which has the sentence "May peace prevail on earth" with the four languages, the Arabic, Hebrew, English & Japanese on a metal plate, was planted on the land of Gaza, under the auspices of a Japanese association concerned with peace... In front of tens of Israeli peace activists in the peace pole planting cremony, Gaza-Ala El Mashharawi (head of the preventive security in Gaza governments), the general Mohammed Dahalan assured that the Palestinian authority encourages the empowerment of the principals & concepts of peace between the Palestinian & the Israeli nation."

February 3, 2002 - Olympic Peace Pole Path, Olympic Village, Salt Lake City, Utah (USA). 84 peace poles -- one for each participating country in the Winter Olympics. Moved to the International Peace Gardens (qv) after the games. "An additional 84 Peace Poles were donated to each country's athletic delegation to take home with them." Image formerly showed poles ready for shipment at Peace Pole Makers USA, Maple City, Michigan (USA).

2002 - Keeling-Puri Peace Plaza, Perryville Bike Path, Riverside & McFarland, Rockford, Illinois (USA). "15 foot by 34 foot sculpture “Harmony Atlas” atop a 7 foot by 25 foot granite sculpture base...adorned with 10 peace quotes..." Includes peace poles in 61 different languages.

Date? - Peace Pole at Peace Palace (home of the International Court of Justice), The Hague (Netherlands).

January 1, 2003 - World Peace Prayer Fountain, Fayetteville Town Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas (USA). Sculpted by Hank Kaminsky. Huge globe with "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in 100 languages is continually bathed in water and easily turned by hand. Photo shows Myra Bonhage-Hale of West Virginia (USA). Click here for distant view.

July 2003 - Peace Pole, Riverscape MetroPark, Deeds Point, Webster Street, Dayton, Ohio (USA). Donated by Friendship Force of Dayton to outdoor "Centennial of Flight" exhibit (which -- according to the exhibit -- climaxed with the Dayton Peace Accords on December 24, 1995).

December 2003 - 84 Peace Poles, International Peace Gardens (qv), Jordan Park, Salt Lake City, Utah (USA). Moved here from Olympic Village after the Winter Olympic Games. One pole for each competing nation. A duplicate pole was taken home by each team.

2004 - World Peace Manhole Cover, Fayetteville Town Center, Fayetteville, Arkansas (USA). Designed & cast by Hank Kaminsky. Photo shows the artist. Photo by EWL.

2005 - Four-sided Peace Poles at private homes in Michigan (USA). Pole at left (showing Polish & German) was planted in Traverse City in 2005. Pole at right (showing English) was planted at 163 Wythe Street, Pentwater (near Lake Michigan), about 1995.

P O L E

May 28, 2005 - Peace Pole, Rockport Park Peace Park, Janesville, Wisconsin (USA). From Wikipedia: "Perhaps the world's tallest Peace Pole, at 52 feet, is located in Janesville at the site of a KKK rally. The initial inspiration for planting Peace Poles often is as a response to a local issue like a KKK rally." This park also "includes a two-story Native American teepee with reproduced Peace paintings inside by Janesville's own Gary Gandy."

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September 25, 2005 - Granite Peace Pole, Peace Pole Park, Beech Acres Park, Anderson Township, Hamilton County, Ohio (USA). About 12 miles east of Cincinnati. "A multi-ton granite peace pole that cost $65,000 with landscaping. By artist Joel Selmeier." From Wikipedia: "Another of the largest Peace Poles in the world, as measured in tons, is the granite Peace Pole in Beech Acres Park near Cincinnati, Ohio. The original inspiration for it was hate literature left in the driveways of Jewish residents." /// "Uncharacteristically does not have the message engraved on the pole itself. Instead the translations are on the six granite monoliths around it. On each of the monoliths the phrase "May peace prevail on earth" is engraved in a different language on each side for a total of twelve translations."

September 25, 2005 - "Peace Pole Garden," Beech Acres Park, Anderson Township, Cincinnati, Ohio (USA). A project of Greater Anderson Promotes Peace (GAPP). "The Peace Pole Garden is a peaceful area, with a winding path and 6 granite benches inscribed with "Let peace prevail on the Earth" in Arabic, Cherokee, Chinese, English, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Russian, Spanish and Swahili." By landscape architect David P. Whittiker, ASLA.

September 11, 2005 - Peace Garden, St. Anthony of Padua Church, Falls Church, Virginia (USA). "Eleven Peace Poles create a dramatic entrance into the sacred space. Christian and Muslim faith communities, as well as public and private schools, participated in the creation of the unique poles. The Peace Poles are crafted of various media and incorporate into their design symbols of peace from many different cultures." One of 100 "sacred spaces" created by the TKF Foundation 1996-2008.

Fall 2005 - Four-sided Peace Pole on driveway of a private home, George Williams Road, Knoxville, Tennessee (USA). This pole has "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in English, Espagnol / Spanish, Français / French & Tsalagi / Cherokee. Photo by EWL.

March 2006 - Bridge to Peace Montessori School, Lunugamwehera (Sri Lanka). Operated by Bridge2Peace, a NGO created in Sri Lanka & the USA in direct response to the 2004 tsunami. Provides quality education for children whose families have been affected by the civil war in Sri Lanka. Image shows peace pole on school grounds.

April 25, 2007 - Peace Park, Highland Middle School, Highland, New York (USA). Peace park dedicated on August 26, 1995. Peace pole by Jim Fawcett (shown in image) made with wood from Africa and added to the park on April 25, 2007.

October 2008 - Peace Pole, Mount Joy United Church, Timmins, Ontario (Canada). "Using words & flags they have clearly stated PEACE in 17 languages. The words were then put onto pieces of wood in languages such as Hebrew, Finnish, Cree, French & Italian, along with English, to help spread the word. 'It was important to us as the campaign began that we have the languages of the different people in this community on the peace pole,' said Pastor Darlene Hardy."

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January 14, 2012 - Peace Pole, East Lake Community Learning Garden, 56-2nd Ave SE, Atlanta, Georgia (USA). Near Hosea Williams & 2nd Avenue. Garden coordinated by Southeastern Horticultural Society with collaboration from East Lake Foundation & others. Four languages on the Pole are the most widely spoken in the world – Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Arabic & English. Photo shows (left to right): Jennifer McCrary, Melba Potter, Adrian Johnson, Shirley Cleaves, Khari Diop, Lauren Patrus, Andrea Kay Smith, Imam Mansoor Sabree & son Ayub Sabree, Tamara Mosely & Fred Stevens.

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