A towering bronze statue in Nagasaki's Peace Park, standing 9.7 meters tall and weighing about 30 tons, has stood for 70 years as a powerful symbol of the city's complex history with nuclear weapons. Unveiled on April 1, 1955, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the atomic bombing, the statue was created by Seibō Kitamura, a local artist from Nagasaki. The figure's right arm is raised toward the sky, representing the threat of nuclear weapons, while its left arm extends horizontally, symbolizing the longing for eternal peace. The design was selected through an open competition and revealed to the public on the same day the Peace Park was inaugurated. The Peace Park is situated near the hypocenter—the point of detonation—of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki in August 1945. Nearby, remnants of the Urakami Cathedral, once the largest church in East Asia, remain as a preserved historical site. The statue's posture and details are believed to convey a silent message: its slightly closed eyelids symbolize a prayer for the souls of the bombing's victims, while the position of its legs reflects both the calm of meditation and the strength required to act for the good of humanity. Some interpretations suggest that the statue symbolically unites the love of God and the mercy of Buddha, bridging Western and Asian spiritual traditions. Seibō Kitamura, who lived to be 102 years old, was selected as the sculptor due to his deep understanding of the trauma experienced by Nagasaki's people. The statue's design seeks to transform the city's pain into a universal message, going beyond a simple tribute and becoming a "grammar of memory." Every posture, facial expression, and body inclination of the statue carries a specific meaning, intended to communicate the shared human experience of loss and hope. Each year on August 8, the anniversary of the bombing, Nagasaki holds a Peace Day ceremony at the statue. People from all walks of life—residents, descendants of survivors, and international visitors—gather to reaffirm their commitment to peace. As visitors contemplate the statue, they are often left with a lingering question: are we still under the threat represented by the raised arm, or are we moving toward the peace suggested by the other? This question remains particularly relevant in today's world, where global tensions and the threat of nuclear weapons continue to loom.