Things Left for Families

Kazuhiko Sasaki Kazuhiko (then 12), son of Ayako Sasaki (then 37), was in his first year at First Hiroshima Prefectural Junior High School. He was exposed to the bomb inside his school while waiting for the change of shifts. When Kazuhiko failed to come home, Ayako went looking for him. She walked alone through the still smoldering ruins. It was not until the morning of August 8th that she finally found Kazuhiko lying dead by the side of the school swimming pool.

	52 Junior high students diving into the pool August 6, 1945 / Approx. 900m from the hypocenter, Zakoba-cho (now Kokutaiji-machi) Fierce flames were licking out of windows in nearby buildings. Already badly burned by the heat rays, students of First Hiroshima Prefectural Junior High School escaped the unbearable heat of the fires by diving into the swimming pool. They died in the water.
	54 Canvas shoe Approx. 900m from the hypocenter, Zakoba-cho (now Kokutaiji-machi) This shoe found by Fumiko Sasaki belonged to her brother Kazuhiko. Kazuhiko had been wearing them with some thick paper inside on the bottom to cover a hole. The name "Sasaki" can be seen on the shoe.

Michie Wakita Michie Wakida (then 14) was a second-year student at Yamanaka Girls High School attached to Hiroshima Women's Higher School of Education. She was exposed to the bomb in Zakoba-cho where she was helping to demolish buildings. She was taken to Ninoshima Island but died on the 9th. Her father Hikoichi and mother Sueo searched all the relief stations and found Michie's name on a list of casualties displayed at the burned ruins of her school. On the 10th, Hikoichi went to Ninoshima, but all they could give him was an envelope containing a few of her hairs. In October 1971, during a construction project on the grounds of Ninoshima Junior High School, four human skeletons were discovered where the Army Horse Quarantine Station had stood. The city of Hiroshima excavated the entire site to recover any other remains that might be there. In the process, a rail pass case was discovered with Michie's name on it. Thus, Michie's remains were returned to Hikoichi after 26 years.

55 Excavating bones in the rain October 29, 1971 / Ninoshima-cho On Ninoshima Island, so many A-bomb victims died over a short period that they could not all be cremated. Many were simply buried in mass graves. This excavation found the bones of 612 victims and 62 personal belongings. Seven of the remains, including those of Michie, were positively identified. 56 Pass case and coin Approx. 1,200m from the hypocenter, Zakoba-cho (now Kokutaiji-machi) This pass case belonging to Michie Wakida was found during the excavation on Ninoshima Island that began in October 1971. The clear plastic has turned an amber color. Inside were an aluminum 1-sen coin and an article clipping from a wartime newspaper.

Shozo Okamoto

58 Trousers Approx. 800m from the hypocenter, Hatchobori Shozo Okamoto (then 12) was a first-year student at Sotoku Junior High School. He was exposed to the bomb at his building demolition site, knocked hard to the ground. When he came to, he was badly burned and glass fragments covered the front of his body. He made it as far as the water reservoir in Hesaka, but then ran out of strength. He asked passers-by to contact his family. His older sister, who was living the closest, took him home. She helped him every way she could, but the next morning (the 7th), shortly after his mother Masayo arrived to reunite with him, he breathed his last.

Minako Kogawa Masami Kogawa's third daughter Minako was a first year student at First Hiroshima Prefectural Girls High School. She was exposed to the atomic bomb while demolishing buildings in the Dobashi area. Masami heard from an acquaintance that Minako had fled to Mitaki. He hurried to Mitaki but arrived too late. Minako was dead. The black letters on the nametag were burned out, but Masami could still read the name "Minako Kogawa." He was told that Minako's last words were, "Water, please." To spare the rest of the family the trauma of seeing Minako's burned body, Masami decided to cremate her himself. He took the ashes home.
59 Relief station in a bamboo grove near Mitaki Approx. 2,000m from the hypocenter, Uchikoshi-cho An emergency relief station was set up in the ruins of the totally destroyed Mitaki Branch of Hiroshima Second Army Hospital. Mosquito netting was stretched out in the nearby bamboo grove to accommodate the injured seeking refuge at Mitaki. Smoke from cremation fires rose continually from the foot of Mitakiyama Hill and the banks of the Yamategawa River. Minako died there.	60 School badge and nametag with burned-out letters Approx. 800m from the hypocenter, Near Dohashi This school badge and nametag were worn by Masami Kogawa's third daughter Minako at the time of the bombing. The black letters were burned out by the heat rays. The nametag read: "Minako Kogawa, Hiroshima First Pref. Girls, blood type A"

Hitoshi Minemoto Hitoshi Minemoto (then 12) was a first year student at Second Hiroshima Prefectural Junior High School. He was exposed to the A-bomb while demolishing buildings in Nakajima-shin-machi. His father, Tetsuichi found him toward evening near Yokogawa Bridge. Hitoshi's burned face was so swollen even his family failed to recognize him at first. Tetsuichi took Hitoshi home. He told his family about his A-bomb experience all night long, intermittently crying out, "It hurts! How it hurts!." At about 5:00 a.m. on the 7th, Hitoshi breathed his last.

61 The bodies of mobilized students piled up along the river August 7, 1945 / Approx. 620m from the hypocenter, Shin-ohashi Bridge (now Nishi Heiwa-ohashi Bridge) Engaged in building demolition from Nakajima-shinmachi to Tenjin-machi were nearly 2,000 junior high students and female students from Second Hiroshima Prefectural Junior High School, First Municipal Girls High School, Yasuda Girls High School and other schools. Because this area was close to the hypocenter and the students were working outside, virtually all were lost.

63 Student's uniform Approx. 600m from the hypocenter. Nakajima-shin-machi (now Nakajima-cho)

Honda

64 Tableware buried in rubble Approx. 470m from the hypocenter, Ote-machi 4-chome (now Ote-machi 2-chome) Of the eight members of the Honda family living at home, five died: Toshio's two older brothers, an older sister, a niece, and sister-in-law. Toshio (then 36) was exposed at Hiroshima Station and barely survived. He found the bodies of all five in the ruins of his burned home. Toshio was the last of eight children. Before the war, he and his three brothers ran a Hiroshima specialty products store. The A-bomb took it all. This tableware he picked up from the burned ruins. He and his large family had used it every day.

Shizuko Ohara
	66 Ceremonial tea bowl Shizuko Ohara (then 19), the sister of Yasuo, was exposed to the A-bomb on her way to work near Misasa Bridge about 1,500m from the hypocenter. She received treatment at the Hiroshima Army Hospital in Moto-machi, but died on August 9. This ceremonial tea bowl was picked up by a soldier to hold Shizuko's ashes after she was cremated.

Maegawara

67 Nameplate Approx. 750m from the hypocenter, Shinsenba-cho (now Ko-machi) This nameplate came from the home of Toshiko Yasui's younger brother Seiichi Maegawara. His house was crushed by the blast and burned. Seiichi, his mother, his wife, and their children were all killed. On about August 20, Toshiko went looking for their remains, but they had been cremated immediately with many other corpses. She was never able to identify the remains of her family. This nameplate was found in the burned ruins of their home. She took it with her and treasured it in his memory.

Hiroshi Miyamoto

68 Fused lump of tiles Approx. 1,100m from the hypocenter, Tera-machi Hiroshi Miyamoto was the younger brother of Yone Yamamoto and a student at Second Hiroshima National People's School (elementary school). He was exposed to the A-bomb on his way to the dentist. His mother Tatsuno searched for him, turning over corpses on the side of the road. His father Kinjiro and his brothers and sisters joined the desperate search, but they never found him. One day toward the end of September when the family returned from another search for Hiroshi, they picked up this lump of tiles in Tera-machi. In the area where they thought Hiroshi had probably encountered the bomb, numerous cremated remains were laid out on sheets of tin roofing. They could not force themselves to take home any of those remains. Instead, they took this lump of tiles home as a remembrance.

Hiroshima Testimony -The City Obliterated, the Aftermath Nostalgic Scenes of Hiroshima Dropping the Atomic Bomb - Mushroom Cloud Climbing into the Sky August 6, 1945 - Hiroshima Testimony Hiroshima as Seen by Relief Workers Things Left for Families (1) Things Left for Families (2) Conclusion Individuals and Groups Contributors to This Exhibition Return to TOP