Peace Park, Hiroshima Japan
Cranes folded by Sadako Sasaki donated to the museum by her family.
For many people their fascination with Japan stems from wanting to know and experience Japanese culture, for me it was the story of Sadako. I had read her story when I was a child and it made quite an impression on me. So much of an impression that on my first visit to Japan, the only place I really wanted to see was Hiroshima and I wanted to see Peace Park. Whilst in Peace Park I went to the Peace Memorial Museum and saw that they had some of Sadako's cranes.
For those who don't know her story, Sadako survived the dropping of the bomb was a two year old, but ten years later developed leukaemia due to the radiation she had absorbed. Whilst in hospital her father told her the legend of whoever folds a 1000 cranes will get their wish granted. She proceeds to fold 1000 cranes and then continues, sadly her wish wasn't granted and she died in October 1955. Some of her cranes were buried with her, much later some were donated to the museum.
Over the years I have gone to Hiroshima many times and have taken people there, the museum itself is particularly moving. As Sadako's story has become more well known world wide it's been interesting to see as well that the museum has added to her display and it's not just of her cranes.
This year when I visited the main museum was undergoing major restoration work and a temporary exhibition was established in the East Building. It was much smaller but still from what I saw the most popular pieces were displayed. Again I was surprised by the amount of foreign tourists, the museum was packed!! The main museum building is due to reopen in April 2019.
Sadako's zori and bag
When Sadako was ill in the hospital her mother realising that she would probably not achieve adulthood, bought her a kimono and she was dressed in the kimono, the zori (shoes) and bag are part of the ensemble. (Japanese have a Coming of Age ceremony in January, the year they turn 20, the age of adulthood in Japan. It's a special occasion and girls dress in kimono for the ceremony. Even today it's a major celebration and fabulous to walk around and see all the young women dressed up. The males seem to be more reluctant to wear traditional clothing and then tend to be dressed in western style suits.)
Sadako's medical records.
Children's Peace monument leaflet
After Sadako died, her friends and schoolmates published a series of letters asking for the establishment of a children's memorial for her and all the other children who died as a result of the atomic bomb. This Leaflet was printed and distributed infront of a hall when the National Junior High Principals Association conference was being held. This was the start of the campaign for a monument.
The Children's Peace Monument, with folded cranes sent in by school students.
The campaign for a monument to children was successful and it was unveiled on the 5th of May 1958. May, 5th is Children's Day in Japan. Students around Japan and the world send or deliver if they visit personally folded cranes to that are placed around the monument. I always look to see where the cranes come from, on a few occasions I found an Australian school.
Japanese schools make these detailed collages using tiny folded cranes.
Back inside the museum, a watch that stopped at 8.15 (am) the time the bomb exploded.
A lantern melted from the heat of the bomb.
Lunchbox belonging to Koji Kano his name is written on the lid.
Koji Kano was a 12 year old Junior High School student who on the day the bomb dropped was doing building demolition work in the area that is now Peace Park. Junior High school work groups were used to clear firebreaks in crowded city areas. His father set out by boat to look for his son the day after the bomb exploded and found no trace of him. Much later his lunchbox was returned to his family, no trace of his body was ever found. According to the information card, this lunchbox was placed on the family's Buddhist altar for 66 years before being donated to the museum by Koji's older brother. Koji is the younger child in the photo.
Shin's tricycle
Shinichi Tetsutani was a 3 year old boy who was killed the day the bomb dropped. He was riding his tricycle when the bomb dropped and died later that evening, his father buried him and his two sisters who were also killed in the garden of their home. Shin's tricycle was buried with him. Forty years later Shin's father decided to exhume their bodies to bury them in a proper cemetery and found the tricycle as well. He donated the tricycle to the museum, a Japanese author, Tatsuharu Kodama, who himself was a bomb survivor published the Japanese version of the book that's known in English as Shin's Tricycle. The English version of the book was published in 1995 and this was the version that I read.
A section of wall marked with black rain. After the bombing it rained and the rain was contaminated with nuclear fallout and it was black.
Old photo showing the T-Shaped bridge which was the original target, the centre was the densely built urban area which is now Peace Park.
The two different bombs that were dropped, showing their size, I was surprised at how big they were! The one on the left was nicknamed 'Fat Man' and was dropped on Nagasaki, the one on the right was nicknamed "Little Boy' and was dropped on Hiroshima.
Model of the A-Bomb dome building, the original name was the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.
The current streetcar (tram to me!) that travels up to Peace Park, despite the city being devastated by the bomb, the local population had the badly damaged streetcars up and running within days. To me they're a symbol of people's resilience and desire to keep going even in the worst of circumstances.
A visit to the Peace Memorial Museum is very sobering but fascinating at the same time, I'm curious to see what the renovated main building exhibition will look like from next year.
For many people their fascination with Japan stems from wanting to know and experience Japanese culture, for me it was the story of Sadako. I had read her story when I was a child and it made quite an impression on me. So much of an impression that on my first visit to Japan, the only place I really wanted to see was Hiroshima and I wanted to see Peace Park. Whilst in Peace Park I went to the Peace Memorial Museum and saw that they had some of Sadako's cranes.
For those who don't know her story, Sadako survived the dropping of the bomb was a two year old, but ten years later developed leukaemia due to the radiation she had absorbed. Whilst in hospital her father told her the legend of whoever folds a 1000 cranes will get their wish granted. She proceeds to fold 1000 cranes and then continues, sadly her wish wasn't granted and she died in October 1955. Some of her cranes were buried with her, much later some were donated to the museum.
Over the years I have gone to Hiroshima many times and have taken people there, the museum itself is particularly moving. As Sadako's story has become more well known world wide it's been interesting to see as well that the museum has added to her display and it's not just of her cranes.
This year when I visited the main museum was undergoing major restoration work and a temporary exhibition was established in the East Building. It was much smaller but still from what I saw the most popular pieces were displayed. Again I was surprised by the amount of foreign tourists, the museum was packed!! The main museum building is due to reopen in April 2019.
When Sadako was ill in the hospital her mother realising that she would probably not achieve adulthood, bought her a kimono and she was dressed in the kimono, the zori (shoes) and bag are part of the ensemble. (Japanese have a Coming of Age ceremony in January, the year they turn 20, the age of adulthood in Japan. It's a special occasion and girls dress in kimono for the ceremony. Even today it's a major celebration and fabulous to walk around and see all the young women dressed up. The males seem to be more reluctant to wear traditional clothing and then tend to be dressed in western style suits.)
After Sadako died, her friends and schoolmates published a series of letters asking for the establishment of a children's memorial for her and all the other children who died as a result of the atomic bomb. This Leaflet was printed and distributed infront of a hall when the National Junior High Principals Association conference was being held. This was the start of the campaign for a monument.
The campaign for a monument to children was successful and it was unveiled on the 5th of May 1958. May, 5th is Children's Day in Japan. Students around Japan and the world send or deliver if they visit personally folded cranes to that are placed around the monument. I always look to see where the cranes come from, on a few occasions I found an Australian school.
Koji Kano was a 12 year old Junior High School student who on the day the bomb dropped was doing building demolition work in the area that is now Peace Park. Junior High school work groups were used to clear firebreaks in crowded city areas. His father set out by boat to look for his son the day after the bomb exploded and found no trace of him. Much later his lunchbox was returned to his family, no trace of his body was ever found. According to the information card, this lunchbox was placed on the family's Buddhist altar for 66 years before being donated to the museum by Koji's older brother. Koji is the younger child in the photo.
Shinichi Tetsutani was a 3 year old boy who was killed the day the bomb dropped. He was riding his tricycle when the bomb dropped and died later that evening, his father buried him and his two sisters who were also killed in the garden of their home. Shin's tricycle was buried with him. Forty years later Shin's father decided to exhume their bodies to bury them in a proper cemetery and found the tricycle as well. He donated the tricycle to the museum, a Japanese author, Tatsuharu Kodama, who himself was a bomb survivor published the Japanese version of the book that's known in English as Shin's Tricycle. The English version of the book was published in 1995 and this was the version that I read.
The current streetcar (tram to me!) that travels up to Peace Park, despite the city being devastated by the bomb, the local population had the badly damaged streetcars up and running within days. To me they're a symbol of people's resilience and desire to keep going even in the worst of circumstances.
A visit to the Peace Memorial Museum is very sobering but fascinating at the same time, I'm curious to see what the renovated main building exhibition will look like from next year.
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