Photos by Eiichi Matsumoto: The Destroyed City
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| Hijiyama and Dambara
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Dambara Elementary School
Approx. 1,800m from the hypocenter, Kanaya-cho
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The two-story wooden schoolhouse was instantly crushed by the blast. The approximately 30 students and five faculty in the building that day were trapped under the debris. Two or three badly injured teachers managed to crawl out, but the school burned before any of the students could be rescued.
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Tsurumi Bridge and weeping willow
Approx. 1,700m from the hypocenter, Hijiyama-hon-machi
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Tsurumi Bridge was a wooden bridge built in 1880. The A-bomb heat ray ignited the railing, but the fire was put out. Thousands fled the city center over this bridge toward Hijiyama Hill. The weeping willow tree on the right is still alive. As you can see, the willow tree on the right is growing new sprouts.
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Tamon-in Temple
Approx. 1,750m from the hypocenter, Dambara-cho (now, Hijiyama-cho)
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The blast severely damaged the roof of the main temple. In the evening of August 6, 1945, a Prefectural Air Defense Headquarters was established in Tamon-in Temple. It was from Tamon-in that reports on damage in Hiroshima were sent to the Ministry of the Interior and orders were issued for prefectural organizations and neighboring prefectures to dispatch relief missions. The next morning, the Prefectural Air Defense Headquarters moved to the Hiroshima Higashi Police Station in Shimo-yanagi-cho (now, Kanayama-cho).
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Looking north-northeast toward the Dambara area from Hijiyama Park
Approx. 1,980m from the hypocenter, Hijiyama Park
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The east side of Hijiyama Park was damaged by blast, but not by fire. To the left we can see the Taisho Bridge over the Enkogawa River. Northwest of this spot is the outer edge of the area that was totally smashed and burned.
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