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American student visits Hiroshima to interview creators of children’s art work in aftermath of World War II

by Rie Nii, Staff Writer

Drawings that were made by elementary school students soon after the end of World War II will be exhibited in the United States for the first time in about 60 years. The pictures were originally sent to Santa Fe, New Mexico in March 1953. Michael Amano, 21, a third-year student at Bowdoin College in Maine, where the exhibition will be held, is now in Hiroshima to interview some of the people who made these pictures, along with present-day elementary school students.

Mr. Amano arrived in Japan at the beginning of July. Among the drawings made by elementary school students in Hiroshima some 60 years ago, 44 pictures will be displayed at the Bowdoin College art museum next year from February to May. To prepare for this exhibition, Mr. Amano spoke with three individuals who created pictures and asked about the lives of children in those days, their thoughts and feelings about Hiroshima, and the messages they would like to convey to visitors of the art exhibition. These interviews were captured on video.

Interviews with creators of art work

Kiyoshi Hayashi, 74, a resident of Hatsukaichi, was in fifth grade at Funairi Elementary School, in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward, when he made a landscape with mountains and sheds. He doesn’t remember the picture clearly, but he recalls that he liked drawing landscapes. He said, “I love greenery and nature. When there’s war or conflict, greenery and nature disappear. My wish is for a peaceful world filled with nature.”

Masaharu Takami, 70, a resident of Nishi Ward, was in his mother’s womb at the time of the Hiroshima A-bombing. When he drew his picture, he was a first-grader at Honkawa Elementary School, located in Naka Ward. A reduced copy of the picture, which depicts a school performance, is now displayed on his desk at his workplace. Asked what he wants to convey to visitors of the art exhibition, he said, “I’d like people to learn about our experiences so that the horror of what happened in Hiroshima isn’t forgotten.”

Yasuko Terakawa, 76, a resident of Naka Ward, was a sixth-grader at Kanzaki Elementary School, also in Naka Ward, when she drew her picture. She talked about the food in those days, saying, “My mother had a hard time because she had four growing children with a healthy appetite. I was served a roll and a bowl of noodles for lunch at school, and I never left anything uneaten.” She was not exposed to the radiation fallout from the atomic bomb and was shocked when a person from Kagoshima saw a photo of her in profile and said that perhaps the other side of her face was scarred from being burned in the bombing. To the visitors of the art exhibition, she would like to convey her wish for a peaceful world.

Exchange with elementary school children

Mr. Amano also interviewed 15 sixth-graders at Funairi Elementary School. When he asked if they like living in Hiroshima, all of them responded positively. As to their reasons, they said such things as “From the appearance of the buildings that survived the atomic bomb, we can comprehend the horror of the atomic bomb,” and “I’ve learned about the terrible destruction caused by the atomic bomb, and based on that knowledge I can help spread the importance of peace to the world.” To a question about U.S. President Barack Obama’s visit to Hiroshima, the students replied, “We are pleased that his visit to Hiroshima was widely reported in the mass media in America and that many people who watched it will learn and think about Hiroshima,” and “I think his visit will convey our desire for a nuclear-free world throughout the world.”

Mr. Amano is the third generation of a Japanese immigrant family. His grandmother is from Hiroshima. Some members of his great uncle’s family were killed by the atomic bomb and this has made Mr. Amano a voice for nuclear abolition. Kyosuke Hayase, hearing this, said, “I’m also for nuclear abolition. I hope Mr. Amano, as an American, will help spread our desire for a nuclear-free world in the United States.”

The interviews conducted by Mr. Amano in Hiroshima will be displayed together with the children’s pictures. Videotaped interviews will also be exhibited after some editing work. Mr. Amano is scheduled to stay in Hiroshima until early August. He said there are many interesting stories that are certain to engage people who visit the art exhibition and he hopes to listen to more experiences of the atomic bombing from the survivors during his time in Hiroshima.

According to newspaper articles from 60 years ago, the exchange of art work by children in Japan and in the United States involved 120 pictures sent from Hiroshima and 108 pictures sent from Santa Fe. The drawings made by the Japanese children were displayed in many places in New Mexico and impressed those that saw them.

The pictures were made by students at 16 elementary schools in Hiroshima including Eba Elementary School (Naka Ward), Hirose Elementary Schools (Naka Ward), and Hijiyama Elementary School (Minami Ward). The names of the school, the students, and their grades are written in Roman letters. For inquiries, please contact the Hiroshima Peace Media Center at 082-236-2801 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays).

(Originally published on July 25, 2016)

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