Art is a profound way for people to preserve and interpret memory. The hibakusha from Hiroshima have created a wealth of pieces expressing their emotions either during the blast or in its aftermath. Much of this art was made long after the atomic bomb was detonated, illustrating how vividly the memories of August 6, 1945 remain forever etched in memory.
This piece was made by Haruo Ikegame who was 20 years old during the blast with the piece itself being made thirty years later in 1975. It depicts survivors of the bomb fleeing towards nearby Yoshijima airport, the sides of their bodies exposed to the blast have had clothing burned away exposing the bloody, irradiated flesh underneath.
Credit: Children of the Atomic Bomb/UCLA Asian American Studies Center
Credit: Children of the Atomic Bomb/UCLA Asian American Studies Center
This piece depicts the skin hanging off of a woman's badly burned hands immediately following the blast. This was drawn by Kazuo Matsumuro who was 32 at the time of the blast and 61 at the time of creating this artwork.
Credit: Children of the Atomic Bomb/UCLA Asian American Studies Center
Credit: Children of the Atomic Bomb/UCLA Asian American Studies Center
"Carrying her child, she had probably been unable to outrun the flames. Her hair was standing on end. She still protected her child under her breast, like a living person. Her eyes were open wide. I cannot forget that shocking sight. " - Taguchi Mitsuko, aged 30 at the time of the blast.
Credit: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Peace Database
Credit: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Peace Database
"My classmates were screaming. Burned on their faces, arms, feet, legs, and backs. Trapped under heavy gates and houses, they screamed for help. Some were crying for help from the river, holding onto the stone embankment against the pull of the rising tide." - Kimura Hideo, aged 12 at the time of the blast.
Credit: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Peace Database
Credit: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Peace Database
"Our home, now ash down to the roof tiles, was still smoldering when I got there. I desperately raked through the ash with my hands and, "Oh!" White bones right in front of me. A spine. I dug to the side and turned up small bones. Suddenly drained of energy and strength, I slumped into a sitting position. Had my father been trapped under the house and been burned alive? Tears came and fell on the bones. Wiping them on my sleeve, I placed each small bone on the palm of my hand and put it into a small, deep dish. My father had been reduced to these little bones and ash." - Taeko Matsui, aged 15 at the time of the blast.
Credit: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Peace Database
Credit: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Peace Database
"They wanted water. Black, black rain. Huge drops. People with injuries and burns. The ones still living craned their faces to the sky and opened their mouths wide to catch the drops. Hot bodies, so very hot, like balls of fire-they wanted water. " - Takakura Akiko, aged 19 at the time of the blast
Credit: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Peace Database
Credit: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Peace Database