Ohara Peace Bell

Ohara Peace Bell. 大原平和の鐘. , The following is a translation of the text found on the bell. This bell, The Japan-US Friendship Peace Bell, is a close replica of the bell displayed in Ohara Park in the town of Ohara, Chiba Japan. It was cast in commemoration of the Sister City relationship between Ohara and Duluth, and respectfully presented to Duluth. The original peace bell (1986), which was in the former Cho-ei Temple, is the oldest remaining bell in Ohara. Ohara donated the bell to a wartime scrap drive, but for some reason it was never destroyed. After world war two in 1946, sailors on the USS Duluth found the bell, took it to the US, and gave it to the City of Duluth, where it was displayed in City Hall., In 1951 the Dean of the Chiba University school of Horticulture was pursuing academic travel in the US. He learned of the bell's existence, met with Mayor of Duluth, and asked for its return. Through the kindness of Duluth's Mayor George Johnson, the wonderful effort of Professor Peterson of the University of Minnesota, and the cooperation of the US Air Force and Navy, the bell crosses the Pacific Ocean and returned to Ohara on May 2nd, 1954., At the return ceremony, attended by Glen Shaw of the US Embassy, and by the commander of the US military stationed in Yokosuka, Ohara Mayor Tsuchiya Yukimasa renamed the bell the "Japan-US Friendship Peace Bell." The bell is a symbol of peace and friendship between our two countries., The Bell was cast by Oigo Jiuemon, Takaoka City, Japan. The Bell tower was built through the cooperation of Ohara's and Duluth Sister City Commissions, and dedicated on June 5th, 1994. Grey Doffin and Jeff Kern, Duluth, carpenters.