Testimonies. Section 1 Testimonies of the A-Bomb Victims and Voices of Support

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1 Testimonies Section 1 Testimonies of the A-Bomb Victims and Voices of Support The voices of the A-bomb survivors, or in Japanese hibakusha, continue to be an important source of information and inspiration for people who are trying to understand and learn from what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In this section of the web site we provide you with a sampling of some survivors testimonies. *Memorial Cenotaph. For survivors, this Memorial Cenotaph, where the names of all the A-bomb dead are recorded in the Book of the Past, serves as a sacred focus for the abhorrence of nuclear war and the fervent hope for peace. The Book of the Past, stored in a stone chest under the arch, bears this inscription: Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil. (Photo credit: J. Levin) In a collection of testimonies titled Hiroshima, In Memoriam and Today, the editor Hitoshi Takayama, himself an A-bomb survivor, summarizes the importance of listening to the survivor s voices: The atomic bomb is the most cruel and inhumane thing ever imposed on humanity. Today, needless to say, nuclear bombs can completely destroy any country. The hibakusha naturally feel great anxiety and fear for the present and futures of the world, as the nuclear nations race to produce and stockpile ever more powerful nuclear weapons. The hibakusha and other citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been trying to share their A-bomb experiences with others outside Japan, but their real intentions were not always fully understood, or sometimes were misunderstood. Besides, responses from various peoples have often been very poor (Introduction, p. 29) 1

2 Mr. Takayama goes on to point out that, from his point of view as an A-bomb survivor: Nuclear weapons have become a global issue that affects the survival of all human beings. The nuclear deterrence theory has helped to accelerate the nuclear arms race. It has become rather difficult to protect even our own non-nuclear country [Japan]. The A-bomb experiences of Hiroshima are closely connected with the survival of our people and humanity as a whole, both now and in the future. We are, as citizens, responsible for government policies. Excerpted from Hiroshima, In Memoriam and Today, edited by Hitoshi Takayama with the cooperation of Hiroshima citizens, Here are some A-bomb victim testimonies and supportive voices from around the world included here with the gracious permission of Mr. Hitoshi Takayama. Click on the link to read the details. 2

3 Section 2 Excerpt from Peace Education Based on A-bomb Experiences By Hiroshi Morishita, President of Japan Association of Secondary School Teacher Survivors I was a 14-year old high school boy at the time of the atomic bombing. Students at that time were mobilized to tear down certain houses to make firebreaks in the city. I was 1.7 kilometer (1 mile) from ground zero on the morning of August 6, 1945, so I suffered many serious burns on my face and hands, which left large scars known as keloids. On the same day, my mother was killed by the bomb as were many of my friends and teachers. All these sorrows came to me all at once. I was suffering and ashamed of my keloid burns all the time, and I did not know how to make a living. I felt like shouting at the top of my voice in despair. But I could only murmur, If only the A-bomb had not been dropped! I was completely overwhelmed with grief, which resulted in the autism from which I suffered for a long time after the war. *Wax models in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum portray a common scene on August 6 and thereafter the ghostly appearance of burn victims holding their hands away from their bodies, stumbling along in a painful daze [and] with little sense of direction. Thinking of this sudden change of fate at the moment of the bombing, as if we were thrown into a smelting furnace lots of people wandering with their skin hanging, piles of dead. Swollen and burnt bodies, and my relatives and friends dying while vomiting blood or something like black foam I strongly felt that we who survived the atomic bombing should do something for those suffering so much, and should appeal to the people everywhere to understand the disaster that befell Hiroshima so that it might not ever be repeated. It was my earnest desire to do something for peace, but I was suffering from tuberculosis. At the same time, what with the Korean War breaking out and with nuclear bombs still being developed, I became very fearful. I wrote about my A-bomb experiences, composed poems about the A-bomb, and wrote to newspapers to request help for the victims. When I had almost recovered from my injuries, I went to school again so that I could become a school teacher. After becoming a teacher, I often felt gloomy because of the students gaze at my ugly keloid scars, while I was consciously trying to forget about the A-bomb. Thus I was at a complete loss when asked, What do your students who had no experience of bombing think of the A-bomb? After all, just ten years after the bombing, there were many students who had had no experience of war. 3

4 *Memorial Tower to Students. This monument is dedicated to the more than 6,900 school students that died as a result of the atomic bombings. (Photo credit: J. Levin) I was awfully ashamed to acknowledge the fact that I had not had any objective talks with the students about the atomic bombing. I personally felt peaceful only when I forgot about the ugly keloid scars on my face, and the misery of the bombing. I began to realize that I was always trying to avoid any talk of the A-bomb. Since I was often asked about the bombing, I decide to conduct a survey of the high school student s knowledge and consciousness regarding the A-bomb disaster. In the survey results I was surprised to find many replies such as: A-bomb matters don t matter to me, because I ve had no experience of them. I m too busy with daily life to know how to bring about peace. I feel so sorry for the victims, but I can t afford to do anything for them. Should that misery be forgotten? Should we not foster in young people a will toward peace that can help avoid the same blunder again? If we have another nuclear war, even those inexperienced youths will not escape it. There is no guarantee that these youths would survive it. Therefore they also have some responsibility to prevent war. Even now countless A-bomb victims are suffering from various diseases and, moreover, they are subjected to great anxiety over whether radiation affects the second generation, as is indicated by experiments with animals. Accordingly, the youths, second-generation survivors, are apt to be discriminated against in employment and marriage. These problems should be solved by youths with their own understanding and sense of public responsibility. I have tried to inform students about the terror of the A-bomb. For example, I wrote a drama titled Hiroshima based on the A-bomb disaster, involving death and suffering among mobilized students and children. I have exhibited A-bomb pictures and panels on loan from the A-bomb museum. I had students read articles and poems about A-bomb experiences. We have discussed nuclear weapons in our school club. I have joined a peace 4

5 mission group traveling throughout the world, appealing to people everywhere for understanding of the A-bomb experiences. However hard I tried, statistics show that the number of young people who do not know about Hiroshima, or are forgetting, is increasing. This is only natural, for as the saying goes, Out of sight, out of mind. But I am most surprised by current school textbooks. Only a few lines are given to the A-bomb experience: On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima and the war ended with Japan s acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. As the years have passed, school text treatment of the atomic bombing has been persistently pared down and simplified. It is well known that the Ministry of Education has imposed these limitations on school textbooks. I have felt helpless when realizing that there is little use in trying to bring about peace only by individuals or voluntary groups. Since the abolition of war and of nuclear weapons has much to do with international affairs, I believe peace education must be promoted and carried out internationally. *Departmental conference on peace education in schools. (HIMAT, 226) 5

6 Section 3 My Son Died When He Was Seven Years Old Kenzo Nagoya Kaitaichi High School Teacher Even with his bones, blood and internal organs all undermined, my son still asked, When am I going to get better? Kenzo Nagoya (HIMAT. 201) Fumiki, my second boy, 7 years and 6 months old, died of the terrible disease, leukemia. His ordeal began one day when suddenly he experienced pains in his joints. His gums became swollen. His face became distorted. My wife wondere if it was leukemia. An ominous premonition came across our minds. The shock of July 29, 1965, is unforgettable for me. It was on this day, when Hiroshima was sizzling with summer heat and the memorial day of August 6 th was at hand, that we learned that our 4-year-old boy had leukemia. My wife is an A-bomb victim. There is widespread anxiety as to whether a victim s child might somehow be affected, and every victim cannot help but feel insecure. Unfortunately, my wife s foreboding came true. At the Hiroshima University Hospital, Fumiki was diagnosed as having terminal leukemia. I could hardly believe that my beloved 4-year-old boy was thus sentenced to death. The doctor said that he could live only a year at most, and that in some cases death had come in less than a week following the confirmation of the disease. Thus did Fumiki s fight against the disease begin. It was an indescribable struggle. My diary at that time reports as follows: One year and nine months have passed since he became ill. Our joy and sorrow always go with him. Confronting his death every day, we have passed three autumns, three winters and now spring has come round again. This spring Fumiki graduates from kindergarten and will be promoted to primary school. Even though suffering from the illness, to my surprise, Fumiki is growing steadily. On graduation day he brought home a scrapbook of his kindergarten art work entitled Ayumi, which means Walking [used in the sense of following a course]. I found in it a picture of a big sea-bream with its mouth 6

7 wide open, seeming to enjoy the delicious seaweed it was eating. A sea-bream in Japan means good luck. I put the picture on the wall, hoping that somehow it would bring him good luck. Departmental conference on peace education in schools (HIMAT, 228) His grandmother bought him the biggest school bag available in order to celebrate his going to primary school. Since Fumiki was fat and tall for his age, the school bag looked very good on him, strapped on his back just like every other Japanese boy and girl preparing to enter first grade. I covered it with a piece of yellow cloth, as is our custom, so that he could be easily seen on the street and protected against traffic accidents. My wife was working as well as taking care of the family. Her diary from this period records: Now I understand what it means to fold one thousand paper cranes. It makes me feel that somehow my sick boy will surely be alive today, too. Whenever I fold another crane I feel that Fumiki is safe for another day. In spite of his parents strong wish and prayers, death finally took Fumiki away. He suffered from leukemia for two years and six months, which seemed to me both a short and at the same time a very long period for one small life to be consumed by a terrible disease. Fumiki s only wish was to get better and to live. At 2:45 AM on February 22, 1968, Fumiki breathed his last breath. It was a snowy night in Hiroshima. Four years have passed since his death. Our grief has become deeper and deeper. Every time we hear about the death of a second-generation victim (child of an A-bomb victim), we recall our son s death, and I never fail to visit his death bed. On their dead faces, again I see Fumiki s face. I shall never forget him. I m afraid that acute leukemia is always trying to attack not only victims themselves but even their children as well. Unless we bring about peace in the world, unless we prohibit the production of all atomic and hydrogen bombs, we shall eternally have to face and suffer many deaths like Fumiki s. 7

8 Section 4 From My Sickbed Shizuko Nishimoto Patient at Atomic Bomb Hospital, Hiroshima Oh, how many times did I wonder, Why didn t I die at that time...? *Shizuko Nishimoto, Patient at Atomic Bomb Hospital, Hiroshima (HIMAT, 214) Alas, August 6 comes round again. That horrible A-bomb, that scorched earth, the fire that left all Hiroshima in ashes, these are all vivid in my memory. No words or pictures could ever express the cruelty of the atomic bomb. On that day, two neighbors happened to be in my house. At the moment of 8:15 AM, the gate of hell was opened. My two neighbors were crushed under the collapsed staircase. I moved my body little by little from under the staircase. My dress was completely torn off; I found myself almost bare. I got out of my house, and looking back, saw that it was burning too furiously to re-enter. My two neighbors were burning alive, trapped under the staircase. But I could not enter the house. I felt sorry for them, but had no time to spare; I had to get away from the fire. I was bleeding profusely; later I counted 38 wounds on my body. At the time, my husband was at work and somehow my son survived, though both were wounded seriously. The three of us held each other and cried at the good fortune of our survival. Just after the atomic bombing, we moved to the country. From that time I couldn t do any housework, but went regularly to the doctor for treatment of my injuries and severe diarrhea. About one year after my exposure to the A-bomb, I felt a kind of prick in my body; I wondered if one of my bones had been broken when I was pressed under the crushed house. I asked my doctor about this. He said that I had a piece of broken glass in my body, and proceeded to extract it. It was a 3 cm (1 inch) long triangular piece of glass with a bit of my flesh on its top. As I have been hospitalized as often as eight times during the 27 years since then, almost half my life has been spent in the hospital. The reason for my suffering from one illness after another is simple: my exposure to the A-bomb. Oh, how many times did I wonder, Why didn t I die at that time...? 8

9 Why do people make, or have others make, atomic bombs, the enemy of all humankind? Why don t people throughout the world try to live in peace? Why are there still people who make nuclear weapons in this world? Why do they concentrate so much on how to kill others? Do these people not realize that we cannot live by ourselves? For me, a 64-year-old woman, it is impossible to understand those who think so avidly of fighting or of making ever more lethal weapons. To those who have assembled great numbers of people to make these, the deadliest of weapons, I appeal, please cease and desist right now. Why do you apply yourselves so arduously to bringing the human race into ruin? We should never repeat the first nuclear crime. Please stop all war and all preparations for war. Stop making weapons, especially all nuclear weapons, right now! 9

10 Section 5 Excerpt from: Dismantling Nuclear Forces F.W. de Klerk Former President of South Africa *F.W. de Klerk, former President of South Africa (HIMAT, 121) No one who has visited the Peace Park in Hiroshima can fail to be deeply moved by the horror of nuclear war. The mute remains of the cataclysm the scorched clothes, the burnt shadows on fragments of walls, the watches forever frozen at quarter past eight speak much more eloquently of the tragedy than words can ever express. It is for this reason so important to keep the memory of Hiroshima alive as a stark and continuing warning to mankind. 10

11 *A watch, stopped at 8:15 AM forever. (Asahi Graph, 67) We cannot put the genie of nuclear technology back in the bottle. The challenge for all mankind is to control this technology for the common good and to eliminate forever the idea that it can be used for destructive purposes. There are a number of ways of pursuing this goal: We should all support the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. We should guard against the possibility of weapons being acquired illegally from the stockpiles of existing nuclear weapons states. We should support steps to declare certain parts of the world to be nuclear free zones. We must urge existing Nuclear Weapons States to move more rapidly toward the dismantling of their stockpiles. The fact remains, that despite all the lip service that is given to the ideal of nuclear disarmament, South Africa is the only country that has ever voluntarily dismantled an existing nuclear capability. We did so in 1993 and have learned that true security comes from our ability to solve complex problems peacefully rather than by imagining that we can achieve anything by threatening ultimate destruction. 11

12 Section 6 Appeal for Peace Pope John Paul II Peace Memorial Hall, 25 February 1981 War is the work of man. War is destruction of human life. War is death. Nowhere do these truths impose themselves upon us more forcefully than in this city of Hiroshima, at this Peace Memorial. Two cities will forever have their names linked together, two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as the only cities in the world that have had the ill fortune to be a reminder that man is capable of destruction beyond belief. Their names will forever stand out as the names of the only cities in our time that have been singled out as a warning to future generations that war can destroy human efforts to build a world of peace. *Pope John Paul II addresses a gathering in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, February 25, Mr. Mayor, dear friends here present, and all of you who are listening to my voice, and whom my message will reach: It is with deep emotion that I have come here today as a pilgrim of peace. I wanted to make this visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial out of a deep personal conviction that to remember the past is to commit oneself to the future. Together we recall that it is one of humanity s sad achievements that all across the face of the earth the names of very many too many places are remembered mainly because they have witnessed the horror and suffering produced by war: war-memorials, that with the victory of one side also recall the suffering and death of countless human beings; cemeteries where rest those who sacrificed their very lives in the service of their country or in the service of a noble cause, and cemeteries where lie the innocent civilian victims of war s destructive fury; the remains of concentration and extermination camps, where contempt for man and for his inviolable rights reached its most base and cruel expression; battlefields, where nature has mercifully healed the earth s scars, but without being able to blot out past human history of hate and enmity. Hiroshima and Nagasaki stand out from all those other places and monuments, as the first victims of nuclear war. 12

13 I bow my head as I recall the memory of thousands of men, women and children who lost their lives in that one terrible moment, or who for long years carried in their bodies and minds those seeds of death which inexorably pursued their process of destruction. The final balance of the human suffering that began here has not been fully drawn up, nor has the total human cost been tallied, especially when one sees what nuclear war has done and could still do to our ideas, our attitudes and our civilization. *Memorial Mound: HIMAT. 08. Here lie in rest the countless unidentified souls (estimated at 70,000) whose names are not known. Photo credit: J. Levin. To remember the past is to commit oneself to the future. I cannot but honor and applaud the wise decision of the authorities of this city that the memorial recalling the first nuclear bombing should be a monument to peace. By so doing, the City of Hiroshima and the whole People of Japan have forcefully expressed their hope for a peaceful world and their conviction that man who wages war can also successfully make peace. From this city, and from the event its name recalls, there has originated a new worldwide consciousness against war, and a fresh determination to work for peace. Some people, even among those who were alive at the time of the events that we commemorate today, might prefer not to think about the horror of nuclear war and its dire consequences. Among those who have never personally experienced the reality of armed conflict between nations, some might wish to abandon the very possibility of nuclear war. Others might wish to regard nuclear capacity as an unavoidable means of maintaining a balance of power through a balance of terror. But there is no justification for not raising the question of the responsibility of each nation and each individual in the face of possible wars and of the nuclear threat. To remember the past is to commit oneself to the future. I evoke before you the memory of August 6, 1945, so that we may better grasp the meaning of the present challenge. Since that fateful day, nuclear stockpiles have grown in quantity and in destructive power. Nuclear weaponry continues to be built, tested and deployed. The total consequences of full-scale nuclear war are impossible to predict, but even if a mere fraction of the available weapons were to be used, one has to ask when the inevitable escalation can be imagined, and whether the very destruction of humanity is not a real possibility. I wish to repeat here what I said to the United Nations General Assembly: The continual preparations for war demonstrated by the production of ever more numerous, powerful and sophisticated weapons in various countries show that there is a desire to be ready for war, and 13

14 being ready means being able to start it; it also means taking the risk that sometime, somewhere, somehow, someone can set in motion the terrible mechanism of general destruction. To remember the past is to commit oneself to the future. To remember Hiroshima is to abhor nuclear war. To remember Hiroshima is to commit oneself to peace. To remember what the people of this city suffered is to renew our faith in man, in his capacity to do what is good, in his freedom to choose what is right, in his determination to turn disaster into a new beginning. In the face of the man-made calamity that ever war is, one must affirm and reaffirm, again and again, that the waging of war is not inevitable or unchangeable. Humanity is not destined to self-destruction. Clashes of ideologies, aspirations and needs can and must be settled and resolved by means other than war and violence. Humanity owes it to itself to settle differences and conflicts by peaceful means. The great spectrum of problems facing the many peoples in varying stages of cultural, social, economic and political development gives rise to international tension and conflict. It is vital for humanity that these problems should be solved in accordance with the ethical principles of equity and justice enshrined in meaningful agreements and institutions. The international community should thus give itself a system of law that will regulate international relations and maintain peace, just as the rule of law protects national order. Those who cherish life on earth must encourage governments and decision-makers in the economic and social fields to act in harmony with the demands of peace rather than out of narrow self-interest. Peace must always be the aim: peace pursued and protected in all circumstances. Let us not repeat the past, a past of violence and destruction. Let us embark upon the steep and difficult path of peace, the only path that befits human dignity, the only path that leads to the true fulfillment of the human destiny, the only path to a future in which equity, justice and solidarity are realities and not just distant dreams. And so, on this very spot where, 35 years ago, the life of so many people was snuffed out in one fiery moment, I wish to appeal to the whole world on behalf of life, on behalf of humanity, on behalf of the future. To the Heads of State and of Government, to those who hold political and economic power, I say: let us pledge ourselves to peace through justice; let us take a solemn decision, now, that war will never be tolerated or sought as a means of resolving differences; let us promise our fellow human beings that we will work untiringly for disarmament and the banishing of all nuclear weapons; Pope John Paul: let us replace violence and hate with confidence and caring. To every man and woman in this land and in the world, I say: let us assume responsibility for each other and for the future without being limited by frontiers and social distinctions; let us educate ourselves and educate others in the ways of peace; let humanity never become the victim of a struggle between competing systems; let there never be another war. To young people everywhere, I say: let us together create a new future of fraternity and solidarity; let us reach out towards our brothers and sisters in need, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, free the downtrodden, bring justice where injustice reigns and peace where only weapons speak. Your young hearts have an extraordinary capacity for goodness and love; put them at the service of your fellow human beings. To everyone I repeat the words of the Prophet: They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Is 2:4). To those who believe in God, I say: let us be strong in his strength that infinitely surpasses our own; let us be united in the knowledge that he calls us to unity; let us be aware that love an sharing are not faraway ideals but the road to enduring peace the peace of God. And to the Creator of nature and man, of truth and beauty I pray: Hear my voice, for it is the voice of the victims of all wars and violence among individuals and nations; 14

15 Hear my voice, for it is the voice of all children who suffer and will suffer when people put their faith in weapons and war; Hear my voice when I beg you to instill into the hearts of all human beings the wisdom of peace, the strength of justice and the joy of fellowship; Hear my voice, for I speak for the multitudes in every country and in every period of history who do not want war and are ready to walk the road of peace; Hear my voice and grant insight and strength so that we may always respond to hatred with love, to injustice with total dedication to justice, to need with the sharing of self, to war with peace. O God, hear my voice and grant unto the world your everlasting peace. Hiroshima Peace Memorial 25 February 1981 Last Modified on 12/1/2005 Copyright 2005 AtomicBombMuseum.org 15