Documenting Hiroshima of 1945: August 27, boy who seemed fine after bombing dies
Aug. 27, 2024
by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Senior Staff Writer
On August 27, 1945, three weeks after the atomic bomb was dropped on the city, Takeshi Yoshitomi, 12 at the time, who was a first-year student at Hiroshima First Middle School (present-day Kokutaiji High School, in the city’s Naka Ward), died surrounded by family at home in Saijo-cho, Hiroshima Prefecture (in present-day Higashihiroshima City). He had been sick in bed because of a dramatic decrease in white blood cell count and high fever.
Takeshi’s father, Kota Yoshitomi, who died in 1969 at the age of 66, revealed his sadness in a letter he sent to a relative. “This will likely be the hardest thing I will ever face in my life,” he wrote. At the time, Mr. Yoshitomi worked for the Hiroshima Sanatorium for Wounded Soldiers (present-day Higashihiroshima Medical Center) in Saijo-cho and lived with his family in the sanatorium’s official residence.
On August 6, Takeshi experienced the atomic bombing at school, located around 850 meters from the hypocenter. He escaped from the collapsed school building and returned home on August 7, with assistance from a sanatorium relief team. Kota wrote in the letter, “I had tears of joy when I saw Takeshi.” His son appeared to be fine as he raised potatoes in the fields and fed the chickens.
However, around August 18, he developed a fever. A physician at the sanitorium provided treatment after finding that his white blood cell count had decreased, but Takeshi did not survive. “He was a serious and good boy until he died. [On his sickbed] he said, ‘And I was supposed to be even a greater person than you, father’,” wrote his father in the letter.
His mother, Hideko Yoshitomi, who died 2006 at the age of 95, later wrote a diary entry of her endless feelings for him. “The day was August 27 when we were separated after I said to you, ‘Wait for me. I’ll follow you later.’ Takeshi, who has fallen into eternal sleep!! I want to hug you once again!,” read the entry.
The Chugoku Shimbun published on August 27, 1945, printed on behalf of the paper by the western headquarters of the Mainichi Shimbun, carried an article titled “Remaining horrors of “atomic bomb”: Impossible to live in city for next 70 years.” That information originated from a comment made by an American radiation scientist and was picked up by other newspapers.
(Originally published on August 27, 2024)
On August 27, 1945, three weeks after the atomic bomb was dropped on the city, Takeshi Yoshitomi, 12 at the time, who was a first-year student at Hiroshima First Middle School (present-day Kokutaiji High School, in the city’s Naka Ward), died surrounded by family at home in Saijo-cho, Hiroshima Prefecture (in present-day Higashihiroshima City). He had been sick in bed because of a dramatic decrease in white blood cell count and high fever.
Takeshi’s father, Kota Yoshitomi, who died in 1969 at the age of 66, revealed his sadness in a letter he sent to a relative. “This will likely be the hardest thing I will ever face in my life,” he wrote. At the time, Mr. Yoshitomi worked for the Hiroshima Sanatorium for Wounded Soldiers (present-day Higashihiroshima Medical Center) in Saijo-cho and lived with his family in the sanatorium’s official residence.
On August 6, Takeshi experienced the atomic bombing at school, located around 850 meters from the hypocenter. He escaped from the collapsed school building and returned home on August 7, with assistance from a sanatorium relief team. Kota wrote in the letter, “I had tears of joy when I saw Takeshi.” His son appeared to be fine as he raised potatoes in the fields and fed the chickens.
However, around August 18, he developed a fever. A physician at the sanitorium provided treatment after finding that his white blood cell count had decreased, but Takeshi did not survive. “He was a serious and good boy until he died. [On his sickbed] he said, ‘And I was supposed to be even a greater person than you, father’,” wrote his father in the letter.
His mother, Hideko Yoshitomi, who died 2006 at the age of 95, later wrote a diary entry of her endless feelings for him. “The day was August 27 when we were separated after I said to you, ‘Wait for me. I’ll follow you later.’ Takeshi, who has fallen into eternal sleep!! I want to hug you once again!,” read the entry.
The Chugoku Shimbun published on August 27, 1945, printed on behalf of the paper by the western headquarters of the Mainichi Shimbun, carried an article titled “Remaining horrors of “atomic bomb”: Impossible to live in city for next 70 years.” That information originated from a comment made by an American radiation scientist and was picked up by other newspapers.
(Originally published on August 27, 2024)
