Chugoku Shimbun seeking A-bomb artifacts ahead of 70th anniversary of atomic bombing
Jan. 9, 2014
In anticipation of the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing on August 6, 2015, the Chugoku Shimbun is seeking A-bomb-related artifacts that can attest to the catastrophic consequences of the atomic bombing and transmit the ardent wish for peace. We will share these items in a series of feature articles entitled “Appeals from Hiroshima.”
On August 6, 1945, the A-bomb attack by U.S. forces annihilated the city. By the end of that year, from 130,000 to 150,000 lives had been lost as a result of the blast and its aftereffects. As those who survived the bombing rebuilt their lives and their city from the ruins, their pledge for peace took shape. But now, with the average age of the A-bomb survivors approaching 80, a generational shift is inevitable. Even in the A-bombed city itself, the memory of the bombing is fading.
The Chugoku Shimbun believes that belongings left behind by the victims have been preserved in homes, schools, organizations, and companies, while diaries, letters, memoirs, drawings, and photos by victims and survivors have also been held for safekeeping. With the help of A-bomb survivors and family members of A-bomb victims, we would like to bring these items into the light, reflect on the feelings imbued within them, and hand down these feelings to future generations.
The artifacts collected by the Chugoku Shimbun will not only be shared through the newspaper, these feature articles will also be translated into English and posted on the website of the Hiroshima Peace Media Center for readers around the world. We will also work with testimonies from survivors and related artifacts that have been preserved by public facilities.
In this effort, with the support of our readers, we seek to record the 70-year path that Hiroshima has taken since the atomic bombing. We would be sincerely grateful for any assistance in helping us locate A-bomb artifacts.
To contact the Chugoku Shimbun, please send email to: houdou@chugoku-np.co.jp
(Originally published on January 6, 2014)
On August 6, 1945, the A-bomb attack by U.S. forces annihilated the city. By the end of that year, from 130,000 to 150,000 lives had been lost as a result of the blast and its aftereffects. As those who survived the bombing rebuilt their lives and their city from the ruins, their pledge for peace took shape. But now, with the average age of the A-bomb survivors approaching 80, a generational shift is inevitable. Even in the A-bombed city itself, the memory of the bombing is fading.
The Chugoku Shimbun believes that belongings left behind by the victims have been preserved in homes, schools, organizations, and companies, while diaries, letters, memoirs, drawings, and photos by victims and survivors have also been held for safekeeping. With the help of A-bomb survivors and family members of A-bomb victims, we would like to bring these items into the light, reflect on the feelings imbued within them, and hand down these feelings to future generations.
The artifacts collected by the Chugoku Shimbun will not only be shared through the newspaper, these feature articles will also be translated into English and posted on the website of the Hiroshima Peace Media Center for readers around the world. We will also work with testimonies from survivors and related artifacts that have been preserved by public facilities.
In this effort, with the support of our readers, we seek to record the 70-year path that Hiroshima has taken since the atomic bombing. We would be sincerely grateful for any assistance in helping us locate A-bomb artifacts.
To contact the Chugoku Shimbun, please send email to: houdou@chugoku-np.co.jp
(Originally published on January 6, 2014)
