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Junior Writers Reporting

Peace Seeds: Teens in Hiroshima Sow Seeds of Peace (Part 45)

Part 45: Kure air raids

In This Corner of the World, an animated film set in the city of Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture that is based on a manga story by Fumiyo Kono, has been a box-office hit. Thanks to the success of this film, which is set in Kure during and after the war, there has been a surge of interest in the air raids which struck that city in World War II. Kure Port was once known as the largest naval port in the Far East, and Kure was bombarded by U.S. planes many times in 1945.

Along with those who were part of the Japanese navy, many ordinary people, including children, were killed in the air raids. In particular, the air raid on the city that took place from the night of July 1 to the early morning of July 2, 1945 is said to have claimed around 2,000 lives. People perished in the fires caused by incendiary bombs, and many suffocated to death in the air-raid shelters where they had taken refuge.

Seventy-two years have passed since then. Those who experienced the air raids first-hand are growing old. As we visited sites in Kure to learn about the air raids, the junior writers had the opportunity to reflect on these tragic events.

Visiting sites scarred by the air raids

Kure is dotted with structures and monuments that convey the horrors of war: a former navy facility which remains in use; a shrine that still shows damage from the bombings; and monuments for victims of the air raids. We visited places that were damaged by the air raids or featured in the film, guided by Kunio Asakura, who heads an organization that has been investigating and documenting the air raids on Kure for many years.

From the “Rekishi no Mieru Oka” (“The Hill Overlooking History”), Kure Bay is visible with its dockyard and the massive roof under which the battleship Yamato was constructed. Part of the wall that was built to keep the construction of the battleships a secret still remains along the road. We wondered what was on people’s minds when they passed by this facility.

Kameyama Shrine stands on a hill. There are old stone-carved guardian dogs at the shrine. The stone foundation on which one of the guardian dogs sits was cracked, burned, and deformed. “This was due to hot napalm splattered by the explosion of incendiary bombs during the July air raid on the city,” Mr. Asakura told us. “This guardian dog is one of the few surviving witnesses of the Kure air raids,” he added.

In a children’s park stands “Junkoku no To,” a monument dedicated to about 470 people who died at the Kure Naval Arsenal during an air raid on June 22, 1945. The victims include those who belonged to the corps of women volunteer workers and students who were mobilized to work there. They were brought to the arsenal from Hiroshima and surrounding prefectures to address a labor shortage. The monument was raised mainly by a Buddhist women’s group in 1965.

Unlike soldiers, the remains of these victims were simply buried without formal graves, he told us. They were around the same age as us, which was shocking to consider.

We walked past the house where Suzu, the main character of the film, walked past in the story. It was heart-breaking to think about the victims of the air raids. Mr. Asakura said, “People were terrified, and suffered horribly, when those bombs came showering down. I hope more people will want to hand down the history of Kure to the next generation.” (Kana Okino, 17, and Ayu Hayashida, 12)

Many suffocated in air-raid shelters

We interviewed Sumie Miyamoto, 90, a survivor of the Kure air raids.

During the war, there were five air-raid shelters in front of what is now Washo Park. Ms. Miyamoto still lives near the park. As the bombardment grew fierce on the night of July 1, she fled to one of the shelters with her parents and her younger sister.

Ms. Miyamoto told us that the shelter became packed as more and more people took refuge there. It was so crowded that she was unable to move the water bottle she was carrying over her shoulder. There wasn’t enough oxygen, and she became very thirsty. She heard someone calling for his mother, asking for water, as well as another person shouting to hold on. She recalls people screaming and people dying one after another, especially babies, the elderly, and others with limited strength.

The shelter was pitch-black and Ms. Miyamoto couldn’t see where the exit was. They were forced to crawl and kick past people’s heads to find their way out. “It was life-or-death and we couldn’t afford to mind our manners,” she said.

After the air raid, Ms. Miyamoto drank water squeezed out from a cleaning rag. Back in the shelter were the bodies of babies and children who died there. About 550 people reportedly died at that site alone.

After the war, Ms. Miyamoto took over the role that her father had played, taking care of a statue of Jizo, a bodhisattva believed to protect children, which stands in the park. She also continued to organize a service every July to console the spirits of the dead. Then, because of her advancing age, she stopped organizing this ceremony in 2015, the 70th year since the end of the war. But she still shares her experience of the war with local elementary school and junior high school students as well as visitors from outside Hiroshima Prefecture.

“War is horrible,” she said. “Suffering is inflicted on both sides.” Through gathering information for this article, we learned about the damage and misery caused by these air raids for the first time. This offered us the chance to consider the issues of war and peace from a viewpoint other than the atomic bombing. (Kota Ueda, 14)

Picture-card story hands down memories, conveys wish for peace

We also interviewed Fusae Nakatao, 79, who has been sharing her experience with children. At the time of the air raids in Kure, Ms. Nakatao was seven years old. “Fu-chan no Sora” (“Fu-chan’s Sky”), a picture-card story based on her experience, was created by Keiko Yokomichi, 44, an author of children’s books, and others.

Ms. Nakatao read the story for us. The story is told in simple language and the text is accompanied by delicately painted pictures. On the night of July 1, 1945, Fu-chan and her sister, who was five years older than she was, heard an air-raid siren and ran into a shelter. Little Fu-chan was jostled by the crowd of people and fainted when she was exposed to the smoke and heat. The story describes her rescue by a stranger and the burnt ruins of the area when she emerged from the shelter.

As she was pondering the idea of creating a story that would relate the air raids, Ms. Yokomichi met Ms. Nakatao. They made the story simple so children could easily follow. When mentioning Ms. Nakatao’s father, who bled profusely from his wounds and died, Ms. Yokomichi chose not to describe this graphically in order to avoid frightening her young listeners.

The story has been told around 150 times, mainly at local kindergartens and nursery schools. At the end of the story, Fu-chan, now a grandmother, holds her grandchild’s hands. This expresses the hope that children will live in a peaceful world filled with love.

Every baby is welcomed into this world when he or she is born. This is peace and peace must not be harmed. Ms. Nakatao said that she wants children to realize this. Through her picture-card story, we were able to imagine the air raids more clearly. We hope that more people will have the chance to hear her story. (Kotoori Kawagishi, 14, and Ayu Hayashida, 12)

History of the Kure naval port

Why did Kure become a target of air raids? We visited Yamato Museum and met Seiko Sugiyama, 38, a curator there. She told us about the city’s history of prosperity as a military port and the damage caused by the air raids.

In 1889, an admiralty office of the Imperial Japanese Navy was constructed in Kure, which was then a peaceful fishing village. Kure was chosen because of its geographical features among other reasons. It faces the Seto Inland Sea and is surrounded by mountains. In addition, it was easy to obtain good-quality water. This was the beginning of Kure’s history as a naval stronghold along with Yokosuka, Sasebo, and Maizuru.

In 1903, one year after Kure was given city status, the Kure Naval Arsenal was established and the construction of Japan-made battleships began. Military personnel and engineers came to Kure from across the country. Many battleships were constructed, and the Battleship Yamato was completed in 1941. According to the museum, Kure was bombarded 14 times between March and July 1945. Six of these air raids brought about heavy damage, including the July air raid on the town’s urban area.

“While the whole nation was becoming more and more militaristic, Kure, which had a naval port, was attacked many times. Learn this history and consider what peace is,” said Ms. Sugiyama. We once again reflected on how war can impact local communities. (Atsuhito Ito, 14, and Kotoori Kawagishi 14)

Junior writers’ impressions

It was the first time for me to be involved in gathering information for a Peace Seeds article. I knew very little about the Kure air raids. I was shocked to learn that junior high and high school students were working at the navy factory. I hope I have the chance to do more reporting on the lives of students during the war. (Ayu Hayashida)

I knew that Kure was a target of air raids, but I didn’t know much about them. By gathering information on this subject, I learned about a different side of Kure. I want more people to know about the air raids that took place there. In order for that to happen, more efforts are needed, like teaching about the Kure air raids in school in addition to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. (Kota Ueda)

Two things came to mind as we covered the Kure air raids. One is how awful the damage was brought about by the air raids. The military port and facilities were bombed heavily, and urban areas were also bombed. After a series of attacks, the city was turned into burnt ruins. The damage, though, was different from the consequences caused by the single atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The other thing is that information about the air raids needs to be conveyed more widely. I didn’t know about the damage in Kure. Ms. Nakatao used to share her experience only verbally, but felt it wasn’t enough and so she started using pictures, too. We need to consider how we can help convey that information. (Kotoori Kawagishi)

Being guided through the Yamato Museum by Ms. Sugiyama, a curator there, was a powerful experience. The museum exhibits include incendiary bombs that were collected after the air raids, a bloodstained naval flag, and suicide weapons called “manned torpedoes.” I had never seen them before. The junior writers have done a lot of articles about the atomic bombing, but in covering Kure, we could consider the horrors of war from the different viewpoint of a “naval town.” I want to reflect on peace from various points of view, from both inside and outside Japan. (Kana Okino)

What is Peace Seeds?
Peace Seeds are the seeds of smiles which can be spread around the world by thinking about peace and the preciousness of life from various viewpoints. To fill this world with flowering smiles, 27 junior writers, from the first year of junior high school to the third year of senior high school, choose themes, gather information, and write articles.

(Originally published on June 15, 2017)

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