Peace Bell, United Nations Headquarters, New York
Posted by: 
hykesj
N 40° 44.970 W 073° 58.060
18T E 587148 N 4511462
The Peace Bell, a gift to the United Nations from Japan in 1954, is pictured on this 1970 postage stamp, one of many featuring artwork displayed at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Waymark Code: WM12AQ2
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 04/15/2020
Views: 2
The idea of a “peace bell” was the brainchild of Chiyoji Nakagawa, a Japanese businessman and World War II veteran who, though injured in combat, had survived the brutal Burmese front. After the war, he sought to replace the bell at his local temple which had been confiscated for the war effort. The casting of this new bell included coins from 26 different countries and Nakagawa’s military sword. The bell was dedicated to world peace.
In 1951, as a member of the Japanese delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in Paris, Nakagawa proposed creating a similar bell to be presented as a gift to the UN. (Japan had not yet become a member of the United Nations but attended the conference as an observer nation.) Chiyoji Nakagawa played a tape of the bell being rung in his hometown for the General Assembly. In 1952, the Economic and Social Council agreed to accept the gift.
Coins were collected from all 65 member States as well as medals, bullets, badges and other paraphernalia to be used in the casting. The Pope even contributed several gold coins. The bell was housed in a special pavilion fashioned after the ones used during the Japanese Hana-Matsuri or Flower Festival. On June 8, 1954, the Peace Bell was officially presented to the United Nations in New York.
The Peace Bell is currently located in the courtyard between the General Assembly building, the UN Conference Center and the Secretariat. Traditionally, the bell is rung twice a year: on the first day of spring in March and on the International Day of Peace in September, coinciding with the beginning of the UN General Assembly’s annual session.
Stamp Issuing Country: United Nations (New York)
Date of Issue: 13-Mar-1970
Denomination: 25c
Color: multicolored
Stamp Type: Single Stamp
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
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