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Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for Atomic Bomb Victims registers photo of Keiji Nakazawa

by Gosuke Nagahisa, Staff Writer

On March 16, the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, located in Naka Ward, announced that it had registered the photo of Keiji Nakazawa, the author of Barefoot Gen, a manga series which depicts the life of a boy in Hiroshima at the time of the atomic bombing. Mr. Nakazawa died in 2012 at the age of 73. His photo is on display in the hall.

Mr. Nakazawa was six years old when he experienced the atomic bombing on his way to Kanzaki National School, located about 1.2 kilometers from the hypocenter. He lost his father, older sister, and younger brother, who were all trapped in flames under their collapsed house, and a baby sister who was born amid the chaotic conditions of the aftermath of the A-bomb attack. Mr. Nakazawa later became a manga artist and his autobiographical work Barefoot Gen has drawn widespread sympathy across the world and been translated into around 20 languages, including English and Russian.

The photo of Mr. Nakazawa, sent by his widow, Misayo, arrived in the mail on March 13. The photo was taken during a magazine interview just prior to his death. Visitors can also view a video clip of his A-bomb testimony at the hall.

The Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims collects and exhibits the names and photos of A-bomb victims and accounts of A-bomb survivors. As of March 16, 2017, the names and photos of 21,600 people have been registered.

(Originally published on March 17, 2017)

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