Anoma Pieris and Arthur Tsakonas (Eucalypts of Hodogaya Shrine of Remembrance) - the Architecture of Reconciliation

"We want the public sentiment to turn away from war and towards reconciliation."

This week on Story Behind the Stone, we speak with Professor Anoma Pieris and Arthur Tsakonas from the University of Melbourne about the Yokohama War Cemetery and the exhibition they co-curated at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne.

Eucalypts of Hodogaya is more than an architectural story. It’s a reflection on memory, diplomacy, and the quiet power of collaboration. Anoma and Arthur share how Australian and Japanese architects worked together in the 1940s to build a cemetery that honors the dead and invites the living to reflect.

In this episode:
- Learn how a Japanese garden design shaped a Commonwealth cemetery
- Hear the story of a POW who taught architecture in a prison camp
- Discover why reconciliation is central to the exhibition’s message