世紀を超える街のシンボルも一度、消滅の危機に晒されたことがあります。第2次世界大戦の最中です。周辺都市の空襲の報を耳にした市民は、城を守りたいという一心から姫路城を黒い布で覆い隠しました。ところが、一発の爆弾が天守の窓をすり抜けてしまったのです。絶体絶命のピンチ――しかし人々の熱い思いが届いたのか、爆弾は炸裂しませんでした。戦後は、焼野原に聳える姫路城の姿が復興を目指す市民の心のバネとなり、いつしか平和の象徴となりました。
Even a symbolic structure of an over-century city has faced a crisis. It's during World War II. The citizens, who heard there will be attacked around the city, wanted to protect Himeji castle from the air raid, so they covered the castle with a black cloth to hide. However, one bombshell went through a window of the castle tower. The desperate situation_____but fortunately the bombshell didn't explode, perhaps the people's thought made a miracle happened.After the war, Himaji castle rose on the burnt-out city gave all the citizens hope to revive the city, and became a symbol of peace.