At the end of World War II on August 6, 1945 an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima by the Americans. The plants and trees in the area around the epicentre were examined in September 1945. Among the survivors were the six Ginkgo biloba trees shown on this page. They were situated near the blast center and appeared to bud after the blast without major deformations and are still alive today.
Ginkgo at Shukkeien garden (founded in 1620), 1370 m from the blast.
Plaque: « After the dropping of the bomb almost all giant trees in the garden were burnt. This Ginkgo is one of the trees that survived. Girth 4 m, 17 m, age about 200 years. The tree toppled because of the blast and the tree was pruned to prevent it from falling over. »