Hiroshima, occupying the delta where the Ōta River splits into six tributaries and runs into the Seto Inland Sea, is known as the City of Water.
The city owes its start to the feudal lord Mori Terumoto, who built Hiroshima Castle (also called Carp Castle) and gave the area its current name in 1589. Today, Hiroshima accounts for 90% of sewing needles manufactured in Japan, as well as 60% of domestically sourced oysters and lemons.
Chances are that none of these facts are what first comes to mind when you hear the name Hiroshima, because on Aug. 6, 1945, the world’s first atomic bomb was detonated 600 meters above Shima Hospital. The blast and subsequent fallout claimed 140,000 lives by December 1945, causing untold suffering to those who did not perish immediately.
Hiroshima’s rivers were once a vital factor in the city’s growth, providing a means for trade to flourish. They are also a source of great natural beauty. In the aftermath of the atomic bombing, however, the rivers of Hiroshima became extremely deadly. As fires raged across the city, many fled into the rivers for safety, leading to the death of many by drowning.
Furthermore, those injured experienced extreme thirst, but they were denied water as it could worsen internal injuries. Some of these injured turned to the rivers to sate their thirst. By then, the rivers were contaminated with both radiation and corpses. Black rain, radioactive and thick with debris and smoke, fell on the city. Survivors tilted their heads back to catch the droplets in their mouth, despite reporting that it hurt for the rain to fall on their injuries.
Because of the numerous rivers that flow through Hiroshima, an underground subway system was not a viable form of public transportation. Instead, Hiroshima relies on streetcars, or trams, and is one of the only Japanese cities to still do so. The streetcars are operated by the Hiroshima Electric Railway Co., Ltd., founded in 1910.
Streetcars began running in Hiroshima for the first time on Nov. 23, 1912. Before the dropping of the bomb, there were 123 streetcars operating in Hiroshima. When the atomic bomb detonated, 185 company employees were killed, and 108 of the streetcars were destroyed outright or damaged beyond use. Only three days after the blast, the 15 remaining streetcars were operating once again. Three of the original surviving streetcars are still in use today.
As previously mentioned, the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima detonated above Shima Hospital. The day before the bombing, Dr. Kaori Shima and one of the hospital’s nurses were called to the nearby town of Kōzan to operate on a patient, and were the hospital’s only survivors.
Around 80 people were inside the hospital at the time, and they died instantly upon detonation. They both worked to heal the injured, and three years later, Shima Hospital was rebuilt in the same place. The hospital’s current director is Shuyuki Shima, the grandson of its original founder.
Shima Hospital was not the originally planned drop point for the atomic bomb. A crosswind pushed it 240 meters from its original target: Aioi Bridge. The bridge was chosen for its location in the center of the city, and due to its unusual shape being highly visible from the air. Aioi Bridge is T-shaped, connecting above the Honkawa and Motoyasu rivers. The bridge was not completely destroyed in the explosion, and was instrumental in the evacuation of survivors. The bridge was repaired soon after the war, though deterioration caused it to be reconstructed into its current form in 1983. It was rebuilt using similar specifications to the original. Some girders from the original construction, deformed from the atomic blast, are on display in the nearby Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
It is said that a person can never step into the same river twice, because it is not the same river, and the person is not the same person. Indeed, with its rivers ever flowing into the Seto Inland Sea, and Hiroshima ever rebuilding and growing toward peace, you will never step into the same Hiroshima twice, and you will never be the same person you were when you leave.
About The Author
