Memorial for the Korean Victims of the A-Bomb
18 May 2003 | ||
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| Japan's society was (and still is to some degrees) very discriminatory. It is a shame how they treated the Korean victims of the Atomic bomb. In death (and especially in such a horrible death like the one of the nuclear bomb) we should all be alike... The story of the memorial is on the next photograph.... The central cenotaph of the Memorial park does not contain their names. | ||
The background of the Korean Memorial
18 May 2003 | ||
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| In some of the more recent plaques at the memorial site, Japan has started to quietly approach this aspect of their past in a more critical light... Their own 'Vergangenheitsbewaeltigung'. | ||
Selection of Hiroshima
18 May 2003 | ||
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| I know many people whose families come from cities that could have been chosen instead as targets. I would never know them. Kyoto is one of my favourite places with its old temples, shrine and history. It could have been evaporated as well. Of course the firestorm in Tokyo destroyed almost the entire city and killed 500,000 people - it was more devastating than the Atomic bomb, but the nuclear bomb symbolizes a perversion of technology creating a destruction far beyond 'conventional' bombing. | ||
8:15am
18 May 2003 | ||
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| Time stood still.... | ||
Before
18 May 2003 | ||
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| Just below the photo is the T-shaped bridge that was the goal of the bomb.... This was Hiroshima before... See the next photo.... | ||
After
18 May 2003 | ||
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| Days after though... When the rivers cleaned up.... | ||
Target
18 May 2003 | ||
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| This T-shaped bridge was the target of the bomb. You can also see the building now known as the A-Bomb Dome. | ||
Hypocenter and the Hiroshima Valley
18 May 2003 | ||
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| The white sign is the location of the museum. Around 1500 meters around the red ball everything was gone. The people further away got deadly burns and were exposed to massive radiation.... | ||
Wallet, School Badge, Company Badge and Tickets
18 May 2003 | ||
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| Among the artifacts at the Memorial Museum many tell a story. Many stories sound similar. Children from the central schools suffered extreme burns and returned home blind and heavily injured to die just days later. Also heartbreaking are the tales of parents going to the central locations and searching for any trace of their children. Wallet, School Badge, Company Badge and Tickets 790 meters from hypocenter Kimiko Nishimaru (then 15) was a third year student at Hijiyama Girls' High School. She was a mobilized student working at the telegraph office, when the atomic bomb exploded. Though her entire body was covered with severe burns, she managed to return to her home in Ushita-machi. Her parents did their best to care for her, but she died on August 10. |
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Name Tag
18 May 2003 | ||
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Name Tag 900 meters from hypocenter Seiji Segawa (13), a student at Municipal Junior High School, was exposed at the site where he was working on building demolition as a mobilized student. His mother, Ayame, his older sister Mieko and his younger brother Masumi (who donated the tag to the museum) walked around the city searching for Seiji. On August 8, they learned that Seiji had been taken in at Takasu National School in the suburbs and rushed to his side. In a room crammed with severly injured victims, they recognized Seiji's shoes. Seiji's face was too burned to be recognizable. They found him and his mother called out his name and he responded by opening up his eyes. They brought him home and did all to save him, but he slipped away on August 11. |
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Female Student's Uniform
18 May 2003 | ||
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Female Student's Uniform 1200 meters from hypocenter Nobuko Shoda (then 14) was a second year student at Yamanaka Girls High school. She was expoed to the bomb at her building demolition work site. She suffered burns over her enture body, with especially severe burns on both arms, legs and her face. She was carried on her parents' back to Hiroshima's Red Cross Hospital, but received minimal treament. She was carried to her house, which was significantly damaged, where she passed away on the 10th of August. |
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About this page | Contact Me at photodiary (at) gmail.com | Last Updated: 19 June 2008 - ©2007 Julian Pye