Archive website with 1,526 photos and two films that document Hiroshima A-bombing launched by Hiroshima City and six media organizations, including Chugoku Shimbun
Aug. 1, 2024
Same materials being screened for registration in “Memory of the World” project
by Yumi Kanazaki, Staff Writer
The Hiroshima City government and six media organizations, including the Chugoku Shimbun, have joined to create the archive website “Visual archive of Hiroshima atomic bombing—Photographs and films in 1945.” The website, which was launched for public access on July 31, provides information in both Japanese and English about 1,526 photos and two films taken of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. The materials are currently being screened as a candidate for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s “Memory of the World” project.
All of the photos and films were taken between August 6, 1945, the day the atomic bomb was dropped, and the end of the same year by Hiroshima citizens and photojournalists from newspapers and news agencies who experienced the atomic bombing, as well as photographers who accompanied scientific research teams. They documented the mushroom cloud and the city ruins, survivors with severe burns, acute effects of radiation, and the many other consequences resulting from use of the nuclear weapon. The photos, categorized by material grouping, shooting location, photographer, and timing of the shooting, can be searched using keywords.
The organizations involved in the possession, preservation, and utilization of the materials are the Hiroshima City government, the Chugoku Shimbun, the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Newspapers, RCC Broadcasting, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), and Kyodo News. In November 2023, six of the organizations, except for Kyodo News, made a joint application to UNESCO for consideration as a candidate for registration with Memory of the World. The website was created to promote use of the materials for peace activities, peace education, and academic research, as well as to contribute to the communication of A-bomb experiences to future generations and to the elimination of nuclear weapons.
A total of 1,532 photos were submitted in the application, but six of the images have not been posted on the website out of privacy considerations.
(Originally published on August 1, 2024)
