What happened in Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, was an event that will haunt humanity for the rest of human existence. The dropping of the first atomic bomb left behind a footprint of sorrow, suffering and grief not only to the people who experienced it, but to the generations that follow in their footsteps.
At 8:15 a.m. that day the United States dropped the bomb nicknamed “Little Boy” over Hiroshima, resulting in what we know recognize as the first of two times nuclear weapons have been used in warfare with Nagasaki being struck three days later.
Four years prior, on December 7, 1941, Japanese military forces launched a surprise attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, just a year after entering World War II. In the following months, the U.S. initiated a top-secret operation known as the “Manhattan Project,” a program that used nuclear fission to create the world’s first atomic bomb.
Years later, after Japan’s refusal to follow join Germany in surrendering, the United States sent B-29 bomber Enola Gay with the decision to bomb the city. Just hours later, Little Boy was released 600 meters above near what is now known as the Genbaku Dome, or Atomic Bomb Dome. Within four days of the blast, over 120,000 civilian inhabitants had died, with a majority being instantly vaporized by the explosion.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum serves to tell the stories of those who were affected by the bomb, both directly and indirectly. They have been collecting materials including personal effects, photos and drawings depicting the horror that ensued because of the blast. These items are on display in the main building to preserve the reality of the atomic bombing. Exhibition #2: Hiroshima on Aug. 6, is a section of the museum that focuses on the devastation and human impact of the bombing. It features many tragic stories of the day Little Boy was dropped on the city.
In the hall leading up to the exhibition, a photograph by Yoshito Matsushige is displayed on the wall. The photo is a scene of the people in the ruins near Miyuki Bridge, only 2,200 meters from the hypocenter, crowded with those who survived the bombing and fled the fire. Many had severe burns. Many died upon reaching the bridge, having exhausted all their energy in their escape. Hair was singed and frizzy, standing on end, untamed. Burnt skin hung like rags. A traumatized account by Matsushige compels the horror and shock of witnessing such a loss of life.
“Miyuki Birdge was covered with severely burned people,” Matsushige said, according to the exhibit. “I held the camera up, but I couldn’t snap the shutter. Finally, after about 20 minutes of hesitation, I took my first picture.”
The photo Matsushige took is one of only two images taken on Aug. 6, 1945, of people in the devastated area.
There are hundreds of articles of clothing on display in the museum. Many were cut directly from the bodies of the victims, while others were all that was left to remember them by.
One is a student uniform belonging to a young female student named Masako Nakajima (left image below). At the time of the blast, she was working at her building demolition site, only 800 meters from the hypocenter. When her father and older brother searched the worksite, they found neatly folded student uniforms with name tags but no sign of Masako. Many uniforms were burned and damaged, but hers remained intact. Her body was never recovered.
Many victims of the blast were vaporized by the explosion immediately, leaving no trace behind but their shadows. The stone steps of what once was the entrance of the Hiroshima branch of the Sumitomo Bank carry the shadow of an unknown victim of the bomb (right image).
Exposed to the explosion at such a close range, the person sitting on the steps of the bank had no possibility of escape and died immediately following the bomb’s detonation. The extreme heat of the atomic bomb bleached the stone, but the portion of the steps the individual was resting on remained dark – like a shadow.
The artifacts housed within the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum do more than just document the past. They stand as a permanent, painful reminder of the human cost of nuclear warfare.
By preserving these fragments of stolen lives, Hiroshima ensures that the victims are never reduced to statistics, compelling future generations to look upon the ruins of Aug. 6 and vow that such devastation must never happen again.
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