Documenting Hiroshima of 1946: Mid-January, wheat planted by Futaba Pioneers Group begins to sprout
Jan. 18, 2025
by Minami Yamashita, Staff Writer
In mid-January 1946, wheat began to sprout in agricultural fields on the site of the former East Drill Ground, north of Hiroshima Station in Hiroshima City. To resolve issues involving food shortages and unemployment, those affected by the war and military veterans formed what became known as the Futaba Pioneers Group and settled in the area after the end of the war.
According to the Chugoku Shimbun dated January 17, 1946, that reported on the activities of the pioneers, the group had been formed of around 20 families in November 1945, based on the idea, “The creation of a new Japan should first begin with a return to farming.” The group cultivated around 120 hectares of former military land in the city, including the site of the former East Drill Ground, a portion of which had been cultivated by soldiers since during the war. Two months after the group’s establishment, the number of member households increased to around 200. Using agricultural equipment and several heads of horses sold by prefectural and city agricultural associations, the group mainly grew wheat as well as cultivated vegetables.
The group’s leader, Morito Fujita, who died in 2009 at the age of 94, was an anti-aircraft battery commander during the war of an anti-aircraft position established on top of Mt. Futaba. In an interview at the time with the Chugoku Shimbun, Mr. Fujita and other group members explained that, “Because our leader and many members of the group are demobilized soldiers, other people sometimes turn a cold shoulder to us. But we are saddened to tears when we see former brothers-in-arms become dealers in the black market and turn to crime.”
According to the Record of the Hiroshima A-bomb War Disaster, published in 1971, the group engaged in full-scale work to increase food production, growing large enough to supply rice and wheat to the Hiroshima City government. Meanwhile, the former military land owned by the national government was tentatively leased to those hoping to engage in farming through the city government, which had planned to use the former East Drill Ground in the future as the site of a park.
However, the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers (GHQ) demanded that the former military land be sold to people engaged in agricultural work. At that point, in 1951, the Hiroshima Prefectural Farmland Committee made the decision to sell the former East Drill Ground site. The city government did not agree with the decision and filed a lawsuit against the prefectural government, leading to a prolonged dispute. In 1960, the two parties reached a settlement by agreeing to utilize part of the cultivated area for other purposes such as a school and a park.
(Originally published on January 18, 2025)
In mid-January 1946, wheat began to sprout in agricultural fields on the site of the former East Drill Ground, north of Hiroshima Station in Hiroshima City. To resolve issues involving food shortages and unemployment, those affected by the war and military veterans formed what became known as the Futaba Pioneers Group and settled in the area after the end of the war.
According to the Chugoku Shimbun dated January 17, 1946, that reported on the activities of the pioneers, the group had been formed of around 20 families in November 1945, based on the idea, “The creation of a new Japan should first begin with a return to farming.” The group cultivated around 120 hectares of former military land in the city, including the site of the former East Drill Ground, a portion of which had been cultivated by soldiers since during the war. Two months after the group’s establishment, the number of member households increased to around 200. Using agricultural equipment and several heads of horses sold by prefectural and city agricultural associations, the group mainly grew wheat as well as cultivated vegetables.
The group’s leader, Morito Fujita, who died in 2009 at the age of 94, was an anti-aircraft battery commander during the war of an anti-aircraft position established on top of Mt. Futaba. In an interview at the time with the Chugoku Shimbun, Mr. Fujita and other group members explained that, “Because our leader and many members of the group are demobilized soldiers, other people sometimes turn a cold shoulder to us. But we are saddened to tears when we see former brothers-in-arms become dealers in the black market and turn to crime.”
According to the Record of the Hiroshima A-bomb War Disaster, published in 1971, the group engaged in full-scale work to increase food production, growing large enough to supply rice and wheat to the Hiroshima City government. Meanwhile, the former military land owned by the national government was tentatively leased to those hoping to engage in farming through the city government, which had planned to use the former East Drill Ground in the future as the site of a park.
However, the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers (GHQ) demanded that the former military land be sold to people engaged in agricultural work. At that point, in 1951, the Hiroshima Prefectural Farmland Committee made the decision to sell the former East Drill Ground site. The city government did not agree with the decision and filed a lawsuit against the prefectural government, leading to a prolonged dispute. In 1960, the two parties reached a settlement by agreeing to utilize part of the cultivated area for other purposes such as a school and a park.
(Originally published on January 18, 2025)
