Ms. Toyomoto, representative of bereaved families from Toyama prefecture, looks at father’s canteen at Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims and hopes to carry on his experiences
Aug. 6, 2024
by Minami Yamashita, Staff Writer
A canteen is on display at the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, located in Naka Ward, Hiroshima. The canteen was used by Mutsuo Kojima, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 100, in his relief efforts in Hiroshima shortly after the atomic bombing. His eldest daughter, Mariko Toyomoto, 70, lives in the city of Imizu and attends the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6 as a representative of bereaved families from Toyama prefecture. On August 5, she visited the hall and reaffirmed her desire to carry on her father’s experiences and thoughts.
Mr. Kojima, who belonged to a secret unit in the Imperial Japanese Army Shipping Command (commonly known as the Akatsuki Unit) that trained special suicide attack soldiers, went to Hiroshima from Konoura in the city of Etajima, where his unit was stationed, to provide rescue on August 6, 1945. A seriously injured man asked for water, but feeling it would be unsanitary to let his burned and blistered lips touch his canteen, he instinctively poured water at a distance away from the man's mouth.
In his memoir, he wrote, “I realized how shallow my heart was. It was my first regret,” and “Whenever I visit Hiroshima, I first deeply bow my head at the memorial mound, recall the voices of the victim crying out for ‘Water, water’ which lingers in my mind, and offer my apologies with folded hands.” When he talked about his experiences, he always showed his canteen.
Ms. Toyomoto’s younger brother provided the canteen for the special exhibition, which runs from March 2024 to February 2025. Ms. Toyomoto said in a trembling voice, “My father always expressed his apologies. I hope many people will see it, which will comfort his soul.” She will pass on her father’s experiences to her three grandchildren, who range in age from one to a first-year junior high school student.
(Originally published on August 6, 2024)
A canteen is on display at the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, located in Naka Ward, Hiroshima. The canteen was used by Mutsuo Kojima, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 100, in his relief efforts in Hiroshima shortly after the atomic bombing. His eldest daughter, Mariko Toyomoto, 70, lives in the city of Imizu and attends the Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6 as a representative of bereaved families from Toyama prefecture. On August 5, she visited the hall and reaffirmed her desire to carry on her father’s experiences and thoughts.
Mr. Kojima, who belonged to a secret unit in the Imperial Japanese Army Shipping Command (commonly known as the Akatsuki Unit) that trained special suicide attack soldiers, went to Hiroshima from Konoura in the city of Etajima, where his unit was stationed, to provide rescue on August 6, 1945. A seriously injured man asked for water, but feeling it would be unsanitary to let his burned and blistered lips touch his canteen, he instinctively poured water at a distance away from the man's mouth.
In his memoir, he wrote, “I realized how shallow my heart was. It was my first regret,” and “Whenever I visit Hiroshima, I first deeply bow my head at the memorial mound, recall the voices of the victim crying out for ‘Water, water’ which lingers in my mind, and offer my apologies with folded hands.” When he talked about his experiences, he always showed his canteen.
Ms. Toyomoto’s younger brother provided the canteen for the special exhibition, which runs from March 2024 to February 2025. Ms. Toyomoto said in a trembling voice, “My father always expressed his apologies. I hope many people will see it, which will comfort his soul.” She will pass on her father’s experiences to her three grandchildren, who range in age from one to a first-year junior high school student.
(Originally published on August 6, 2024)
