Hiroshima native conveys family’s A-bomb experiences to the world through book’s English edition
Aug. 1, 2012
by Tomomitsu Miyazaki, Senior Staff Writer
Kunito Okamura, 65, a native of Hiroshima and resident of Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, has translated his book “Nanatsu no Kawa wa Ginga ni Todoke” (“May the Seven Rivers of Hiroshima Reach the Galaxy”) into English. Based on his parents’ accounts, the book describes the horrific reality of the atomic bombing and the bonds of the family in the aftermath. Mr. Okamura, a management consultant, spent a year on the translation, and the English edition has been released by a U.S. publisher. Like the Japanese version, the 206-page English edition includes many family photos.
Mr. Okamura’s parents experienced the atomic bombing in the Showa district (now, Naka Ward, Hiroshima), about 1.6 kilometers from the hypocenter. They fled the hellish city and sought refuge on Ninoshima Island in Hiroshima Bay. After the war, they got married. Every year, on the eve of August 6, they shared vivid accounts of their A-bomb experiences with their children.
In addition to these episodes, the book recalls people who made courageous efforts to reconstruct the city and families who started all over again from their handbuilt shelters, interweaving images of Hiroshima during the reconstruction period. Since publishing the Japanese edition in 2005, on the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing, Mr. Okamura said he had been hoping that people abroad would have the opportunity to read it, too.
Mr. Okamura attributes the completion of the translation project to the support of Charlotte Kano, the wife of Michio Kano, a relative who moved to the United States shortly after the end of the war. She urged him to translate the book, then proofread the English text and found a publisher for the manuscript.
The English version of the book has also been registered in the archives of the Imperial War Museums in the United Kingdom. Mr. Okamura said that his former boss, a British citizen to whom Mr. Okamura had sent his draft, brought it to the Imperial War Museums, which led to the registration.
“I’m glad I can convey, in English, how families and people in Hiroshima were engaged in efforts to reconstruct the A-bombed city with hopes and dreams, despite the hardships,” Mr. Okamura said. “I’m confident this message will be communicated to people overseas.” Copies of both the Japanese and English editions are available at Mr. Okamura’s company KRT for 1,500 yen per book. For further information, call (03) 5355-6801 or email krt@r8.dion.ne.jp.
(Originally published on July 30, 2012)
Kunito Okamura, 65, a native of Hiroshima and resident of Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, has translated his book “Nanatsu no Kawa wa Ginga ni Todoke” (“May the Seven Rivers of Hiroshima Reach the Galaxy”) into English. Based on his parents’ accounts, the book describes the horrific reality of the atomic bombing and the bonds of the family in the aftermath. Mr. Okamura, a management consultant, spent a year on the translation, and the English edition has been released by a U.S. publisher. Like the Japanese version, the 206-page English edition includes many family photos.
Mr. Okamura’s parents experienced the atomic bombing in the Showa district (now, Naka Ward, Hiroshima), about 1.6 kilometers from the hypocenter. They fled the hellish city and sought refuge on Ninoshima Island in Hiroshima Bay. After the war, they got married. Every year, on the eve of August 6, they shared vivid accounts of their A-bomb experiences with their children.
In addition to these episodes, the book recalls people who made courageous efforts to reconstruct the city and families who started all over again from their handbuilt shelters, interweaving images of Hiroshima during the reconstruction period. Since publishing the Japanese edition in 2005, on the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing, Mr. Okamura said he had been hoping that people abroad would have the opportunity to read it, too.
Mr. Okamura attributes the completion of the translation project to the support of Charlotte Kano, the wife of Michio Kano, a relative who moved to the United States shortly after the end of the war. She urged him to translate the book, then proofread the English text and found a publisher for the manuscript.
The English version of the book has also been registered in the archives of the Imperial War Museums in the United Kingdom. Mr. Okamura said that his former boss, a British citizen to whom Mr. Okamura had sent his draft, brought it to the Imperial War Museums, which led to the registration.
“I’m glad I can convey, in English, how families and people in Hiroshima were engaged in efforts to reconstruct the A-bombed city with hopes and dreams, despite the hardships,” Mr. Okamura said. “I’m confident this message will be communicated to people overseas.” Copies of both the Japanese and English editions are available at Mr. Okamura’s company KRT for 1,500 yen per book. For further information, call (03) 5355-6801 or email krt@r8.dion.ne.jp.
(Originally published on July 30, 2012)
