Documenting Hiroshima of 1945: In November, neighborhood associations in different locations begin to function
Nov. 9, 2024
by Minami Yamashita, Staff Writer
In November 1945, the Chugoku Shimbun ran in its newspaper a seven-part, feature series of articles titled “Neighborhood Associations Recover” during the period November 10–20. Those articles were the forerunner to the Chugoku Shimbun’s various series of articles communicating the voices of citizens who experienced the atomic bombing. In addition to information about the drive to rebuild life throughout the city, these series have presented the problems facing citizens and their demands of local government.
The first article in the series focused on the Shimoyanagi-cho Neighborhood Association, which had established its office in a shack around 1.3 kilometers east of the hypocenter. Tsubasa Itadani, 45 at the time and president of the association, spoke to the Chugoku Shimbun about the housing problem. “The first houses that had been built with so much effort were destroyed by floods, with all the houses standing here today representing the second attempt at rebuilding,” said Mr. Itadani.
The neighborhood, which stretched along the west bank of the Kyobashi River at the end of the present-day Inari-Ohashi Bridge, originally comprised 1,400 residents in 384 households. After the area’s destruction in the atomic bombing, seven households had returned by around the end of August, erecting shacks in the burned ruins (as reported in this series of articles, dated September 16, 2024). But even that situation was short-lived, as Hiroshima was hit by the Makurazaki Typhoon on September 17.
At the time of reporting for the series, the area was inhabited by 60 people in 28 households. The red flag of the neighborhood association, found under a tree that had been burned to the ground, was raised on the roof of the association’s office. “We who live here in the same place and have lost our families and everything, are making a go of it again by leaning on each other under this flag,” read the article.
The second article in the series focused on the area of Hirano-machi, located around two kilometers southeast of the hypocenter. The number of residents in that neighborhood had dropped from 1,500 people in 400 households before the atomic bombing to slightly more than 270 in 60 households after the bombing. The neighborhood association’s office, located in a corner of the neighborhood among a row of partially destroyed houses and makeshift huts, had a sign reading “Treatment Available,” with moxibustion and acupressure provided to victims.
Takahiro Tanaka, who was carrying out the association president’s official duties, lamented the lack of supplies. He said, “We received clothing rations from the city. But, they were more or less the equivalent of one white shirt, which were wet and looked like they were half-falling apart, for each person … We received only four blankets for the 60 households. How, we wondered, would we make it through the winter?”
According to an article in the Chugoku Shimbun dated November 14, 1945, the number of neighborhood associations in the city at that time was 250, a decrease of 10 from before August 6 due to the devastation caused by the atomic bombing. As of September 19, the total number of households had fallen by 40,000 to 36,000. Citizens who survived the bombing worked to rebuild their lives starting with their own neighborhoods.
(Originally published on November 9, 2024)
In November 1945, the Chugoku Shimbun ran in its newspaper a seven-part, feature series of articles titled “Neighborhood Associations Recover” during the period November 10–20. Those articles were the forerunner to the Chugoku Shimbun’s various series of articles communicating the voices of citizens who experienced the atomic bombing. In addition to information about the drive to rebuild life throughout the city, these series have presented the problems facing citizens and their demands of local government.
The first article in the series focused on the Shimoyanagi-cho Neighborhood Association, which had established its office in a shack around 1.3 kilometers east of the hypocenter. Tsubasa Itadani, 45 at the time and president of the association, spoke to the Chugoku Shimbun about the housing problem. “The first houses that had been built with so much effort were destroyed by floods, with all the houses standing here today representing the second attempt at rebuilding,” said Mr. Itadani.
The neighborhood, which stretched along the west bank of the Kyobashi River at the end of the present-day Inari-Ohashi Bridge, originally comprised 1,400 residents in 384 households. After the area’s destruction in the atomic bombing, seven households had returned by around the end of August, erecting shacks in the burned ruins (as reported in this series of articles, dated September 16, 2024). But even that situation was short-lived, as Hiroshima was hit by the Makurazaki Typhoon on September 17.
At the time of reporting for the series, the area was inhabited by 60 people in 28 households. The red flag of the neighborhood association, found under a tree that had been burned to the ground, was raised on the roof of the association’s office. “We who live here in the same place and have lost our families and everything, are making a go of it again by leaning on each other under this flag,” read the article.
The second article in the series focused on the area of Hirano-machi, located around two kilometers southeast of the hypocenter. The number of residents in that neighborhood had dropped from 1,500 people in 400 households before the atomic bombing to slightly more than 270 in 60 households after the bombing. The neighborhood association’s office, located in a corner of the neighborhood among a row of partially destroyed houses and makeshift huts, had a sign reading “Treatment Available,” with moxibustion and acupressure provided to victims.
Takahiro Tanaka, who was carrying out the association president’s official duties, lamented the lack of supplies. He said, “We received clothing rations from the city. But, they were more or less the equivalent of one white shirt, which were wet and looked like they were half-falling apart, for each person … We received only four blankets for the 60 households. How, we wondered, would we make it through the winter?”
According to an article in the Chugoku Shimbun dated November 14, 1945, the number of neighborhood associations in the city at that time was 250, a decrease of 10 from before August 6 due to the devastation caused by the atomic bombing. As of September 19, the total number of households had fallen by 40,000 to 36,000. Citizens who survived the bombing worked to rebuild their lives starting with their own neighborhoods.
(Originally published on November 9, 2024)
