War through the Eyes of Children
With the Help of Barefoot Gen
School Evacuations
To protect them from air raids, the government moved schoolchildren living in urban areas out to the countryside. This process was called “school evacuation.” The government first encouraged students to move to the homes of relatives or acquaintances. For children with no relatives or acquaintances in rural areas, the government prepared a group evacuation system based on school classes.
Group evacuation began in 1944 in Tokyo, Osaka, and other large cities. Gradually, it was extended smaller cities. In Hiroshima, school evacuation was based on the Guidelines for Hiroshima Prefectural School Evacuations and Executive Summary of Hiroshima Prefectural School Group Evacuations, plans established by Hiroshima Prefecture. The evacuations began in April 1945. Students in the third through sixth grades at national elementary schools were evacuated to seven counties in Hiroshima Prefecture: Futami, Yamagata, Asa, Takata, Saeki, Hiba and Sera. Evacuated children were forced to live in temples and inns away from their families.
The number of schoolchildren evacuated to rural areas exceeded 20,000, including those evacuated to the homes of friends or relatives.
Daily scheduleThis is a daily schedule for children. Their daily schedule was set from the hour of rising at 5:00 a.m. until bedtime at 8:30 p.m. |
Evacuation diaryThis evacuation diary was kept while students of Misasa National Elementary School were on group evacuation to Kawane-mura, Takata-gun, Hiroshima Prefecture (now, Takamiya-cho, Akitakata City). Genso Ota, the donor, who was a teacher at Misasa National Elementary School in those days, led the group evacuation. The journal contains daily occurrences, including the children’s work in the crop fields and fishing experiences. |
Morning servicesAway from their families, the children began their life as evacuees. The children woke up early in the morning and engaged in sutra chanting with Buddhist monks of the temple. |
Akira, Gen’s elder brother, was a third-grader in a national elementary school. He moved away from Hiroshima with his group to a temple in the countryside.
