Peace Pole project takes root in Sylva, thanks to Rotary Club- Sylva, North Carolina-USA
May 22, 2025
In an effort to promote unity and peace within the community, the Rotary Club of Sylva is preparing to install an international Peace Pole, an initiative inspired by a global project from Japan. During the Sylva town board meeting on Thursday, May 22, the proposal for the landmark sculpture was discussed, and plans were set in motion to move forward with the decision.
The creation of the pole was entrusted to local metal sculptor David Burris, and it will stand as a public art piece in Sylva.
The installation of peace poles has been a project of Rotary International for over eight years. The concept originated from The Peace Pole Project, created by Masahisa Goi of Japan, who dedicated his life to spreading the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”
“It originally started in Japan decades ago, and it has spread around the world,” said James Spiro, President-Elect of the Sylva Rotary Club. “Rotary International adopted it as a project, and many Rotary clubs in the region have begun adding peace poles as a symbol that can help bring us all together.”
Goi was deeply impacted by the devastation caused by World War II and the atomic bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His wish to promote world peace was realized in 1955 when he received the Peace Message, “May Peace Prevail On Earth,” during a moment of inspiration and profound prayer.
Shortly after, Goi authored the Universal Peace Message, and Peace Pole inscribed with this message began to appear in various locations across Japan, marking the beginning of the Peace Pole Project. Since its inception, more than 200,000 Peace Poles have been erected globally, making it one of the most recognized symbols of peace around the world.
The Peace Pole of Sylva will stand six feet tall and is shaped like an obelisk, featuring Goi’s message “May Peace Prevail On Earth” inscribed in English, Cherokee and Spanish. It will also display the Rotary Club’s name on one side, along with a dove carrying an olive branch in its beak, symbolizing peace, atop the structure. The sculpture will be coated to resemble rusted bronze, similar to the new planting brackets near Ilda.