Let's Look at the Special Exhibit

The Suffering of Mobilized Students

At 8:15 a.m., August 6, 1945, the world's first atomic bomb was dropped. Students in Hiroshima assigned to mobilization tasks that day, some 7,200-over one in four-fell victim to the atomic bombing. Many burned in the raging fires. Some watched their classmates die. Some overcame their injuries to flee through the mayhem. Those working near the hypocenter witnessed the spreading conflagration and turmoil. But the most extreme horror was experienced by students sent out to demolish buildings in five inner city locations. Of the roughly 8,200 students mobilized for this work, over 5,900 perished.


	25/The dropping of the atomic bomb August 6, 1945 Looking from the Hiroshima Army Ordnance Supply Depot (Kasumi) at the sky over the hypocenter Photo by Toshio Fukada Courtesy of the Association of the Photographers of the Atomic Bomb Destruction of Hiroshima
		26/Mobilized students receiving emergency care About 11:00 a.m., August 6, 1945 West end of Miyuki Bridge (Senda-machi) Photo by Yoshito Matsushige Courtesy of the Association of the Photographers of the Atomic Bomb Destruction of Hiroshima Three hours after the atomic bombing, the injured gathered at Miyuki Bridge (2,300 meters from the hypocenter) and received emergency treatment consisting of oil on their burns. Students from Hiroshima Girls' Commercial School, who had been mobilized to work at the Hiroshima Savings Bureau, and students of the Hiroshima Municipal Junior High School, who had been helping demolish buildings, are standing in line. Both sides of the bridge were filled with crouching burned and injured students.

November 1945 Tenjin-machi, Zaimoku-cho, Nakajima-shin-machi, Kako-machi (Nakajima-cho, Kako-machi)
In the Prefectural Office area, 400m to 1,100m from the hypocenter, 1,891 students from 11 schools, were mobilized to demolish buildings. A full 1,821 (96%) of them died. The first-year students of Second Hiroshima Prefectural Junior High School were standing at attention at the edge of the Honkawa River. The first- and second-year students from First Municipal Girls' High School had just completed morning assembly and started work. They were all virtually wiped out, so transformed that their bodies were unrecognizable. 　


27/Students rushing for the river August 6, 1945 Honkawa River Drawing and text by Yoshio Takahara "All mobilized students on task at that moment were thrown by the blast and burned by the heat wave. They all tried to escape into the Honkawa River, which carried off the dead."		28/Corpses swollen like balloons filled the river. About 7:00 a.m., August 7, 1945 Looking downstream of the Honkawa River from the Aioi Bridge Drawing and text by Kyoichi Wakimoto "All corpses were swollen like balloons, their genders indistinguishable. Virtually naked and turned all colors of the spectrum, they floated on the surface. Bridge supports blocked the corpses from flowing downstream."


29/Journal of First Municipal Girls' High School Courtesy of Hiroshima Municipal Funairi High School This journal records the disaster from the day of the bombing for approximately three months. It notes the damage done to the school, the search for missing students, and other activities. The surviving teachers lived for one week after the bombing in the school's bomb shelter. They wrote this journal while performing their other services. First Municipal Girls' High School suffered nearly total annihilation. Of the 544 first- and second-year girls who were out helping to demolish buildings near the Prefectural Office, 541 were killed by the bomb.		30/Record of the first-year students at Hiroshima Second Junior High School Donated by Hiroshima Telecasting Co., Ltd. This record of a bereaved family was featured in a documentary drama produced by Hiroshima Telecasting in 1969. Information about 209 first-year students at Second Hiroshima Prefectural Junior High School was handwritten by bereaved family members. The 321 students who were engaged in building demolition near the Prefectural Office were standing on the riverbank for roll call. All were killed by the bomb.


31/Mitsuko Kawamura (then, 13)
32/A bag sewn by her sister Near the Prefectural Office, Zaimoku-cho (Nakajima-cho), 500 m from the hypocenter Donated by Toshio Kawamura Mitsuko Kawamura (then, 13), a second year student at the First Municipal Girls' High School, was exposed to the bomb at her building demolition worksite. Her sister Yaeko walked through the city but never found her body. About one month later, Yaeko found this bag near Mitsuko's assigned worksite. Yaeko had sewn it for Mitsuko using cloth from her mother's kimono.


33/Eiji Horio (then, 13)
34/Student uniform removed with scissors Near the Prefectural Office, Nakajima-shin-machi (Nakajima-cho), 600 m from the hypocenter Donated by Yuko Horio Eiji Horio (then, 13), a first-year student at Second Hiroshima Prefectural Junior High School, was exposed at his building demolition worksite. Extensively and seriously burned, he was standing in the Honkawa River when the mother of a boy in his class rescued him. When his own mother, Toshiko, was informed, she came and took him home in a cart. However, he died on the 10th with his parents calling his name. His student uniform was stuck to his burned skin, and Toshiko removed it with scissors.

In the Dobashi area, 600m to 900m from the hypocenter, 1,530 students from 11 schools were mobilized to demolish buildings. Of these, 1,264 (83%) died. The first-year students of First Hiroshima Prefectural Girls' High School had begun picking up the thrown roof tiles. The first- and second-year students of Hiroshima Municipal Junior High School had laid down their things and were preparing to start work. Even the ones who somehow dragged their burnt and peeling bodies westward to Koi perished one after the next. 　


35/Dead junior high students About 4:00 p.m., August 9, 1945 Dobashi area Drawing and text by Hidehiko Okazaki "The junior high school students demolishing buildings were annihilated. Countless charred gaiters lay on the ground facing the riverbank, suggesting a horrific spectacle of students throwing themselves into the river as gaiters flamed and fell off their legs. The lined up corpses are those of female students."		36/Junior high students fleeing bare-chested Morning, August 6, 1945 Fleeing towards Koi Drawing and text by Tomiko Miyaji "I did not know why they held their arms in front of them. Only the hair sheltered under the caps typically worn by junior high students remained on their heads in a bowl shape. The skin on their arms hung loose. Strangely, they were all naked."

Diaries of first-year students at First Hiroshima Prefectural Girl's High School
Donated by Noriko Ueda, Michiko Umekita, Takatoshi Kumamoto, Setsuko Yamada
Courtesy of Naoya Ishido, Yoko Fukumori
Of the 223 first-year students at First Hiroshima Prefectural Girl's High School who were demolishing buildings near Dobashi, none survived. These diaries that they had submitted to their teachers were given to the girls' parents. They describe daily life at the girls' school. Some are written with fountain pens, others with pencils. Some are covered with decorative paper. The content is equally individualized.

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Etsuko Kumamoto (Then, 13)	Ikue Ishido (Then, 13)	Yoko Moriwaki (Then, 13)	Nobuko Oshita (Then, 13)



Midori Yamada (Then, 13)	Mutsuko Ishizaki (Then, 12)	Tomiko Umekita (Then, 13)

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39/A summer uniform she sewed herself

Near Dobashi, 800 m from the hypocenter
Donated by Sadao Oshita
Nobuko Oshita (then, 13) was a first-year student at First Hiroshima Prefectural Girl's High School when she was exposed at her building demolition worksite. After fleeing with two classmates to Koi National School, she was taken home to her parents in Otake by a relief worker. She begged for water, then told her parents what had happened to her. Nobuko died that night. The summer uniform she wore she sewed herself.


40Hiroka Nishimoto (then, 12)
41/Porcelain buttons Near Dobashi, Koami-cho, 900 m from the hypocenter Donated by Oyuki Nishimoto Hiroka Nishimoto (then, 12) was a first-year student at Hiroshima Municipal Junior High School when he was exposed at his building demolition worksite. His mother, Oyuki, walked the city day after day searching for Hiroka. She never found his body, but she found these buttons from the clothing he was wearing that day. The buttons were the only part of his clothing that remained.

In the City Hall area, roughly 1,000m from the hypocenter, 2,331 students from 12 schools were mobilized to demolish buildings, of which 1,749 (75%) died. The first- and second-year students of Yamanaka Girls' High School had just completed taking attendance and were already at work. The first-year students of First Hiroshima Prefectural Junior High School were scattered over the area, making piles of wooden boards and hauling logs. Virtually all those whose injuries permitted them to escape the area collapsed further up the road or at their refuge sites. Only a few survived. 　



42/A concrete fence collapsed and killed mobilized students. About 9:00 a.m., August 10, 1945 Behind City Hall (Kokutaiji-machi) Drawing and text by Misako Murakami "A concrete fence toppled, instantly killing members of the Volunteer Corps and mobilized students. My daughter, who was working here, disappeared. I called her till my voice dried up. I called and called but she never returned."		43/Burned girl students fleeing August 6, 1945 Near Minami-ohashi Bridge Drawing and text by Misako Murakami "While demolishing buildings behind City Hall, my daughter was burned over her entire body. Naked, she fled with a large group of people. On the way, a soldier found a curtain fragment and wound it around her body. By the time a kind person covered her with his or her own jacket, she was blind and unable to move. Crying, 'Mother, mother!' she died around 3:00 p.m."


44/Takae Yagyu (then, 13)
45/Monpe cut off Near City Hall, Zakoba-cho (Kokutaiji-machi), 1,000 m from the hypocenter Donated by Ikue Fukuda Takae Yagyu (then, 13) was a second-year student at Yamanaka Girls' High School when she was exposed at her building demolition worksite and burned over most of her body. Her mother, Hisako, searched desperately and found her on the 12th on Ninoshima Island. Her face was swollen huge, her body covered by only a few shreds of clothing. Takae died on the 14th. These monpe were burned to her skin and had to be cut off.


46Kazuhiko Sasaki (then, 12)
47/Treasured cloth shoe Near City Hall, Zakoba-cho (Kokutaiji-machi), 1,000 m from the hypocenter Donated by Ayako Sasaki Kazuhiko Sasaki (then, 12) was a first-year student at First Hiroshima Prefectural Junior High School. He was exposed in his school building waiting to go to his demolition worksite. His mother, Ayako, searched desperately and found his body on the morning of the 8th and cremated it herself. Several days later, his younger sister Fumiko returned with their mother to the place where he had been cremated and found this shoe in the rubble. It has his name on it. The shoe had a hole in it, but Kazuhiko covered it inside with thick paper and continued to wear it.

In the Hatchobori area, roughly 800 meters from the hypocenter, of the 410 first and second year students of Sotoku Junior High School mobilized for building demolition, 405 (99%) were killed. Grievously burned, the students who had been picking up roof tiles and pieces of wood headed toward Hakushima, but very few made it home on their own strength. All the teachers in charge perished, and only five students are known to have survived. 　

In the Tsurumi Bridge area 1,400m from the hypocenter, 1,936 students from 12 schools were mobilized to demolish buildings, of which 579 (30%) died. The first- and second-year students of Hiroshima Girls' Commercial School had begun picking up the thrown roof tiles and wooden fragments. The second-year students of Shintoku Girls' High School were assembling in the schoolyard before leaving for work. Many of the students fled toward Hijiyama Hill, their faces swollen by the heat ray and clothing burned to tatters. About half of those toiling at the worksite died. 　


48/Shozo Okamoto (then, 12)
49/Trousers turned to rags Near Hatchobori, 800 m from the hypocenter Donated by Kazuko Okamoto Shozo Okamoto (then, 12) was a first-year student at Sotoku Junior High School when he was exposed at his demolition worksite. He sustained extensive burns and was thrust hard to the ground while his body was pierced by hundreds of glass fragments. Despite these injuries, he made it to the outskirts of town before he became immobile. When his sister heard where he was, she brought him home and she did her best to care for him. The next morning (the 7th), his mother, Masayo, arrived. He soon died, as if he had been waiting for her.


50/Yuriko Yamamoto (then, 13)
51/Blouse stuck to melted nametag Near Tsurumi Bridge, Tsurumi-cho, 1,500 m from the hypocenter Donated by Sachiko Kimura Yuriko Yamamoto (then, 13) was a student at Hiroshima Girls' Commercial School when she was exposed at her building demolition worksite and burned over much of her body. She managed to almost return to her house before she gave out of strength. Her mother was informed and tried desperately to help her, but had no medicine. All she could do was paint potato and cucumber juice on the burns. In the morning of the 7th Yuriko shouted, "Run to the river! Run to the river!" and died. The celluloid nametag she wore on the right side of her chest was melted and twisted.



52/Hiroshima Central Telephone Bureau Autumn 1945 Hiroshima Central Telephone Bureau, second floor operators room (Fukuro-machi) Photo by U.S. Army Of the roughly 110 third-year students from Shintoku Girls' High School mobilized to work at the Hiroshima Central Telephone Bureau, 540 meters from the hypocenter, 92 died. The students were working as operators or handling office tasks. The blast pierced them with shattered glass and threw furniture on them, instantly killing or gravely injuring most of them.		53/Chugoku Military District Headquarters Autumn 1945 Chugoku Military District Headquarters, underground communications office (Moto-machi) Photo by U.S. Army Of the roughly 90 third-year students of Hijiyama Girls' High School mobilized to work at the Chugoku Military District Headquarters, roughly 790 meters from the hypocenter, 67 died. In the underground communications office used as an army strategic communications office, students were sending and receiving encoded communications and issuing warnings. A girl student who escaped harm because she was working in the underground office notified other command headquarters of Hiroshima's destruction.


54/Kimiko Nishimaru (then, 15)
55/Ripped monpe (workpants) The Chugoku Military District Headquarters, Moto-machi, 790 m from the hypocenter Donated by Suzuko Nishimaru Kimiko Nishimaru (then, 15), a third-year student at Hijiyama Girls' High School, was exposed while working as a mobilized student in the communications office. She was badly burned over much of her body, yet managed to return home. Her face was so swollen that her family recognized her only by the voice calling "Mother." She cried because she had lost the shoes her father had bought her while escaping the fires. Her father went out to find a doctor and her mother, Suzuko, attended her desperately, but she died on August 10.


56/Akiko Kawamoto (then, 20)
57/Piano pierced by glass Mitaki-machi (Mitaki-hon-machi), 3,000 m from the hypocenter Courtesy of Masataka Yamamoto Akiko Kawamoto (then, 20) was a third-year student at Hiroshima Jogakuin Specialized School of Higher Education. She was mobilized and exposed while working in Nobori-cho. Though burned over her entire body, she returned to a place near her house. Her father was informed and immediately brought her home. With her family at her side, she died on the 7th. This piano was the one Akiko played at her home. It was pierced on the right side by pieces of glass hurled by the blast. It has been tuned and next year will be played in public for the first time in 60 years in the concert for Hiroshima Art-week for Peace.


58/Weeping girl students fled the schoolyard. Immediately after the A-bomb explosion, August 6, 1945 Second National School (Minami-kan-on) Drawing and text by Sakae Maeda "The blast from the atomic bomb pierced the mobilized students' bodies with pieces of glass and wood. Drenched with blood, they ran crying out into the schoolyard. There was no way to treat their burns or stop their bleeding. I brought out a bucket with a small amount of cooking oil and used a rag to apply a little to each face."		59/Young girls who died screaming, "Mother!" Drawing and text by Nobuko Nakagawa "Many students from Yamanaka Girls' High School were at their factory mobilization site. Girls who appeared completely uninjured were foaming at the mouth. Many sat down, cried, 'Mother! Mother!' and died. I witnessed this scene without shedding a tear, but while drawing this picture, the tears came."

Mobilized Students
-The Lost Tomorrows of the Students-
　Introduction
　Schools Stained the Color of War
　The Start of Student Mobilization
　Building Demolition Amplified the Tragedy
　The Suffering of Mobilized Students
　Looking for Children
　Reopening in the Burnt Ruins
　Monuments to the Students

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