Experience of the Atomic Bombing　

On August 6, 1945, I participated in a building demolition operation in Zakoba-cho at the back of the Hiroshima City Hall as a member of the Occupational Volunteer Corps, and experienced the A-bombing.

That day, 17 people were supposed to assemble in Zakoba-cho from their respective work stations and to be engaged in a building demolition operation for the relevant area. It happened while they were standing by, waiting for people who hadn’t come yet.

At 8:15 a.m., by a tragic fate, the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. We have often described the A-bombing as “Pika-don”, and this is an excellent nickname. The A-bombing started with the fierce “FLASH (Pika)”, similar to the intense light that is produced by burning magnesium at close range for photos, which made me feel as if the black veranda floor on which I was sitting was as pure as white. It was followed by a tremendous “BOOM (don)” after about two seconds, which caused my house to collapse. At that moment I couldn’t see anything in the complete darkness due to dust whirling up in the air. Not knowing what was going on, I suspected that I might have been blinded. About ten seconds later, my vision was gradually restored, like a scene at daybreak. I was blown several meters by the blast from the place I was sitting and suffered a bruised hip, but no external injuries. My eyes had not been damaged, either. Looking around, wooden houses had collapsed as far as the eye could see. As for the City Hall, all the window panes had blown out, but the building itself was left standing.

While an ordinary bomb could do damage that caused the destruction of several houses at best, how could this devastation have been created? So, I assumed that an extraordinarily huge bomb had been dropped on us. My stand-by house had also completely collapsed. From under a toppled wall of the stand-by house, I heard the moans of my coworkers. Since it was a thick and large lath wall, it took a very long time to break through it and we managed to get them out of there. All of the other people at my work station seemed somehow to be able to walk, despite their minor injuries. Another point nearby flared up. Thinking that we would be in danger unless we got out of there as soon as possible, each of us left the place on our own. Those who had family ran in the direction of their own homes. Being single, I decided to return to my work station immediately. Flames started to rise from here and there. These seemed to be direct fires caused by the heat rather than secondary fires.

When I waded through the collapsed houses in an attempt to go down the tram street in front of City Hall from the assembly point, I saw a girl who called for help, having been trapped in a collapsed house. I wanted to rescue her but couldn’t due to a large beam blocking the way out. I had to leave there against my will, telling her to find a gap somewhere and get out. I still wonder whether the girl safely got out of the collapsed house by breaking through somewhere.

Although I wasn’t sure how long I was in Zakoba-cho, urged on by a voice that we would be in danger with flames now rising from everywhere unless we left there as soon as possible, I finally reached the area in front of City Hall. Many injured people were calling for help from the pond in front of the Public Hall and the tram street. I saw some people with the skin from their faces and hands peeled back and sagging down due to burn injuries, some covered with blood all over their bodies, and some in tattered clothes transformed beyond recognition. Some crouched on the side of the road with no strength to escape, pleading, “Soldier! Please help me.” Those who could walk might have already escaped. No one there could walk, and fires were approaching.

Going up the river from Takanobashi and crossing the Hijiyama Bridge, I finally could stand on the tram street in Hijiyamashita. From that point, I ran for the Taishou Bridge. However, flames were also rising from everywhere along the tram street. After I managed to run past one fire despite the heat, another fire was about to engulf me. I couldn’t either go ahead or retreat. Thinking that I would die at this rate, I had no choice but to escape to Hijiyama Hill on the right. I climbed up the hill in a shower of flying sparks

Although I had already seen many injured people both on the road and along the river, I was surprised at the crowd of people on the hill. A first-aid station established on Hijiyama Hill was packed to capacity by the injured. Some people were groaning outside the facility, craving water. Posted in front of the first-aid station were names of the dead and the wounded. Mothers with faces covered with blood were calling their children’s names. I thought it was verily a living hell on earth.

Passing in front of Hiroshima Girls Commercial School in Minami-dambara-cho from Hijiyama Hill, and crossing the Higashi-ohashi Bridge, I finally returned to my office, the Hiroshima Foods Office, before noon. Also in Minami-kaniya-cho, in which my office was located, some houses had completely collapsed. Even in some houses that hadn’t collapsed, all of the window panes had been blown out by the blast. Despite being at a location as far as 4 km from the hypocenter, many people were injured by broken window panes.

From the afternoon, several people, including me, began to inquire after missing staff members and family members for three days on foot. Despite our efforts to search many places such as first-aid stations, hospitals and schools, checking relevant names on posted lists, we had no clue as to their whereabouts. They might not have been able to escape from the most affected area and died.

After walking around for three days, we could tell that the situation of the city was disastrous, especially along the river with the swarming injured craving water and many corpses floating down the river. Those countless corpses were all brought to the corner of the city and cremated.

The fires that had killed so many people finally subsided to create a burnt field of ruins as far as the eye could see. No matter how huge the size of the bomb, it was unthinkable that a single bomb could do such disastrous damage.

[* Haiku Poem]
Hiroshima’s
Tragic memory
Living hell on earth

(Script below omitted)

* This A-bomb memoir is a translated excerpt