On August 6, 2001, the event known as “Eightsix” began in a small music club in Hiroshima City. It was founded by Hiroshima native Shingo Imamura when he was 26 years old. At the time, Imamura felt torn between his love for American culture, like rock music and fashion, and the horrors of the atomic bombing that the people of his city suffered. This dilemma inspired him to create Eightsix, where he would use the music that he loved to provide an opportunity for reflection on what the people of Hiroshima went through.

Held every year since, except one year during the Covid-19 pandemic, this year marks 25 years since the event was founded. Since its inception, musical acts like Brahman, Takehara Pistol, Huskingbee, Eastern Youth, and Kotoringo have taken the stage. In recent years, the event has expanded from music to include other forms of art, including Hachiroku Art, an event that uses art to reflect on peace, as well as Peace Park, which holds dance performances in Peace Memorial Park.

“We might not have the same power to bring people together as the Hiroshima Carp baseball team or the Sanfrecce soccer team,” says Imamura, “but the issue of peace is something that connects everyone in Hiroshima, regardless of age. I hope to pass the riches that the citizens of Hiroshima worked so hard to build on to the next generation.”

A message passed down in the form of street culture from one generation to the next—past, present, or future, this pattern remains unbroken here in Hiroshima.