Vivid account of A-bomb tragedy: Seigo Nishioka, Hatsukaichi City, publishes book on A-bombing experience to inform people of horror of atomic bombing
Jun. 19, 2023
by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer
Seigo Nishioka, 91, an A-bomb survivor living in Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, has published a book Shonen, 13-sai no Genbaku Taiken-ki (in English, ‘A-bomb experiences of a 13-year-old boy’) in which he writes of his experience in the atomic bombing as a first-year student at Hiroshima Prefectural Technical High School. The book includes 26 of his illustrations depicting him when wounded and showing Hiroshima’s devastation, vividly conveying the tragedy of the atomic bombing.
Mr. Nishioka experienced that atomic bombing at the school, located about two kilometers from the hypocenter, suffering burns and other wounds to his face and limbs. Because he was not feeling well, he took the day off from his scheduled work of demolishing buildings to create fire lanes in the central area of Hiroshima and instead went to his school to do work there. According to a chronology about its 80-year history, the school lost 214 students, teachers, and staff in the atomic bombing, including the first-year students who were engaged in the work of tearing down buildings.
The horrific situations faced by citizens in Hiroshima that Mr. Nishioka witnessed at the time of the bombing are described by his illustrations and writings in the book. “Completely naked female students were in a circle, wailing,” reads one description. “At the river, many people whose energy had been used up were swept away one after another down the river,” describes another passage. He also introduced his experience in creating a memorial for school friends with pillars of the collapsed school building and concluded the book with the words, “I hope for a peaceful world without nuclear weapons.”
Starting about seven years ago, Mr. Nishioka has created illustrations and written passages about his experience in the atomic bombing and during the war period. Making Mr. Nishioka’s writings and illustrations into a publication was first proposed by Keiko Ozaki, 60, a librarian at Sanyo High School, located in Hiroshima’s Nishi Ward. Ms. Ozaki, who also took part in the publication process, came up with the idea after she had listened, alongside the school’s students in their peace education program, to Mr. Nishioka’s testimony about his experience in the atomic bombing. Yuto Matsumae, 15, a first-year student at Sanyo High School, and Urszula Styczek, a part-time university lecturer who conducts research into A-bomb literature, are now in the process of making an English version of the book.
“As I was drawing the ‘hell’ I had witnessed at the time of the bombing, I went cold and had to put my pencils down several times,” said Mr. Nishioka. “I want others to understand the horror of nuclear weapons.” The book in Japanese is now available at the online bookstore Amazon. The B5-sized book comprises 33 pages and sells for 1,320 yen. For further information, contact Ms. Ozaki, at 070-5051-6065.
(Originally published on June 19, 2023)
Seigo Nishioka, 91, an A-bomb survivor living in Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, has published a book Shonen, 13-sai no Genbaku Taiken-ki (in English, ‘A-bomb experiences of a 13-year-old boy’) in which he writes of his experience in the atomic bombing as a first-year student at Hiroshima Prefectural Technical High School. The book includes 26 of his illustrations depicting him when wounded and showing Hiroshima’s devastation, vividly conveying the tragedy of the atomic bombing.
Mr. Nishioka experienced that atomic bombing at the school, located about two kilometers from the hypocenter, suffering burns and other wounds to his face and limbs. Because he was not feeling well, he took the day off from his scheduled work of demolishing buildings to create fire lanes in the central area of Hiroshima and instead went to his school to do work there. According to a chronology about its 80-year history, the school lost 214 students, teachers, and staff in the atomic bombing, including the first-year students who were engaged in the work of tearing down buildings.
The horrific situations faced by citizens in Hiroshima that Mr. Nishioka witnessed at the time of the bombing are described by his illustrations and writings in the book. “Completely naked female students were in a circle, wailing,” reads one description. “At the river, many people whose energy had been used up were swept away one after another down the river,” describes another passage. He also introduced his experience in creating a memorial for school friends with pillars of the collapsed school building and concluded the book with the words, “I hope for a peaceful world without nuclear weapons.”
Starting about seven years ago, Mr. Nishioka has created illustrations and written passages about his experience in the atomic bombing and during the war period. Making Mr. Nishioka’s writings and illustrations into a publication was first proposed by Keiko Ozaki, 60, a librarian at Sanyo High School, located in Hiroshima’s Nishi Ward. Ms. Ozaki, who also took part in the publication process, came up with the idea after she had listened, alongside the school’s students in their peace education program, to Mr. Nishioka’s testimony about his experience in the atomic bombing. Yuto Matsumae, 15, a first-year student at Sanyo High School, and Urszula Styczek, a part-time university lecturer who conducts research into A-bomb literature, are now in the process of making an English version of the book.
“As I was drawing the ‘hell’ I had witnessed at the time of the bombing, I went cold and had to put my pencils down several times,” said Mr. Nishioka. “I want others to understand the horror of nuclear weapons.” The book in Japanese is now available at the online bookstore Amazon. The B5-sized book comprises 33 pages and sells for 1,320 yen. For further information, contact Ms. Ozaki, at 070-5051-6065.
(Originally published on June 19, 2023)
