A-bomb survivor Keijiro Matsushima, who shared A-bomb experience in English, dies at 85
Nov. 20, 2014
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
Keijiro Matsushima, an A-bomb survivor who devoted himself to sharing his experience of the atomic bombing in English, died at 3:05 a.m. on November 12 at the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital & Atomic-bomb Survivors’ Hospital. He was 85. Mr. Matsushima, the president of the Association of Teachers Continuing to Speak about Hiroshima, was originally from Minami Ward and lived in Saeki Ward. He conveyed his A-bomb account overseas as well as in Japan.
Mr. Matsushima was 16 when he experienced the atomic bombing while in a classroom at the Hiroshima Technical Institute (now the Faculty of Engineering at Hiroshima University), located about 2 kilometers from the hypocenter. After the war, he became an English teacher at Hiroshima Municipal Junior High School. In 1966, the Hiroshima City Board of Education dispatched him to the United States, where he spent a year based at a school in a Chicago suburb, relating his experience of the atomic bombing at local schools and meetings.
After retiring as a school principal, he began sharing his A-bomb experience in earnest, taking advantage of his fluency in English. Among the distinguished visitors to Hiroshima that heard him speak were Hamid Karzai, the former Afghan president, and the late Wangari Maathai, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In 2005, he was sent to the United States as a member of the Hiroshima World Peace Mission organized by the Hiroshima International Cultural Foundation. He also visited Germany, Cyprus, and other nations to convey the tragedy wrought by the atomic weapon.
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
News of the death of Keijiro Matsushima, a survivor of the Hiroshima A-bomb, was met with an outpouring of sorrow on November 12. Recalling how clearly he conveyed the reality of the bombing in fluent English to those from other nations, along with his deep desire for peace, some called his death a great loss to Hiroshima.
Steven Leeper, 66, former chair of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, struggled for words when asked to comment. “I liked him so much. I feel so sad,” he said. Mr. Leeper, a resident of Higashi Ward, was often present when Mr. Matsushima shared his account for the foundation. “His English was good, of course. But he also had a gentle manner, an inner strength, and a magnetic personality.”
Kenji Shiga, 62, director of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, said Mr. Matsushima “played a central role in conveying Hiroshima’s message.”
After he developed a blood disease last year, he told people that he felt deeply frustrated that he was unable to continue sharing his experience with others.
Mr. Matsushima was a junior high school principal and the president of the Association of Teachers Continuing to Speak about Hiroshima. Fumiaki Kajiya, 75, the secretary general of the association, was one of the students Mr. Matsushima taught in junior high school. “He was a person of complete integrity. I take my hat off to his efforts to foster peace-loving children,” said Mr. Kajiya.
(Originally published on November 13, 2014)
Keijiro Matsushima, an A-bomb survivor who devoted himself to sharing his experience of the atomic bombing in English, died at 3:05 a.m. on November 12 at the Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital & Atomic-bomb Survivors’ Hospital. He was 85. Mr. Matsushima, the president of the Association of Teachers Continuing to Speak about Hiroshima, was originally from Minami Ward and lived in Saeki Ward. He conveyed his A-bomb account overseas as well as in Japan.
Mr. Matsushima was 16 when he experienced the atomic bombing while in a classroom at the Hiroshima Technical Institute (now the Faculty of Engineering at Hiroshima University), located about 2 kilometers from the hypocenter. After the war, he became an English teacher at Hiroshima Municipal Junior High School. In 1966, the Hiroshima City Board of Education dispatched him to the United States, where he spent a year based at a school in a Chicago suburb, relating his experience of the atomic bombing at local schools and meetings.
After retiring as a school principal, he began sharing his A-bomb experience in earnest, taking advantage of his fluency in English. Among the distinguished visitors to Hiroshima that heard him speak were Hamid Karzai, the former Afghan president, and the late Wangari Maathai, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In 2005, he was sent to the United States as a member of the Hiroshima World Peace Mission organized by the Hiroshima International Cultural Foundation. He also visited Germany, Cyprus, and other nations to convey the tragedy wrought by the atomic weapon.
People of Hiroshima mourn death of Keijiro Matsushima
by Michiko Tanaka, Staff Writer
News of the death of Keijiro Matsushima, a survivor of the Hiroshima A-bomb, was met with an outpouring of sorrow on November 12. Recalling how clearly he conveyed the reality of the bombing in fluent English to those from other nations, along with his deep desire for peace, some called his death a great loss to Hiroshima.
Steven Leeper, 66, former chair of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, struggled for words when asked to comment. “I liked him so much. I feel so sad,” he said. Mr. Leeper, a resident of Higashi Ward, was often present when Mr. Matsushima shared his account for the foundation. “His English was good, of course. But he also had a gentle manner, an inner strength, and a magnetic personality.”
Kenji Shiga, 62, director of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, said Mr. Matsushima “played a central role in conveying Hiroshima’s message.”
After he developed a blood disease last year, he told people that he felt deeply frustrated that he was unable to continue sharing his experience with others.
Mr. Matsushima was a junior high school principal and the president of the Association of Teachers Continuing to Speak about Hiroshima. Fumiaki Kajiya, 75, the secretary general of the association, was one of the students Mr. Matsushima taught in junior high school. “He was a person of complete integrity. I take my hat off to his efforts to foster peace-loving children,” said Mr. Kajiya.
(Originally published on November 13, 2014)
