Documenting Hiroshima of 1946: February 11, Hiroshima-Kure Ekiden Relay race held
Feb. 11, 2025
by Maho Yamamoto, Staff Writer
On February 11, 1946, the Hiroshima-Kure Ekiden relay race was held. The event had begun in 1931 as a replacement for the Chugoku Ekiden, which had been run between Hiroshima and Fukuyama. In the ‘festival’ in support of Hiroshima’s recovery, a total of 170 people representing 20 teams participated in the general public and student divisions, passing team sashes from runner to runner.
The race course comprised a 56-kilometer round-trip route between the headquarters of the Chugoku Shimbun, the event organizer, in the area of Kaminagarekawa-cho (in Hiroshima present-day Naka Ward) and Hiroshima Prefectural Kure First Girls’ High School (present-day Kure Mitsuta High School). According to the 1988 edition of Nessofu, a Chugoku Ekiden commemorative magazine, “Many great runners had died in the war or in the atomic bombing, and some had not been demobilized from military service. With that, the lineups of runners were not complete. The athletes lacked sufficient practice and stamina, a situation faced by all the teams.”
Nevertheless, an article in the February 13 edition of the Chugoku Shimbun reported that cheering sections had gathered one after the other prior to the opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on February 11, with both runners and citizens eagerly awaiting the event. The article went on the report that the runners’ powerful strides “described a whirlwind of enthusiasm.” In the general public division of the race, the Aki Sports Association won with a time of 3 hours, 33 minutes, and 20 seconds. In the student division, Hiroshima First Middle School (present-day Kokutaiji High School) finished in 3 hours, 39 minutes, and 55 seconds.
Hideo Ikenoko, who died in 2015 at the age of 84, ran the fourth leg of the race and won that section for the former Sotoku Junior High School, which finished third in the student division. His oldest son, Hidetoshi, 68, a resident of Hiroshima’s Saeki Ward, offered his recollections. “My father had built up his lower body while carrying foodstuffs and other materials from his home to the market over a mountain pass,” he said. Mr. Ikenoko had been recruited by a university in Tokyo, but after losing his oldest brother in the bombing, he apparently chose to stop running after high school to support his family financially.
The Chugoku Ekiden enjoyed a long history, second only to the Hakone Ekiden, but had been cancelled the previous year, 1945. Hiroshima had been reduced to a scorched ruins by the bombing in August, and the prefecture’s transportation network, which was essential for organizing the race, was further damaged by the Makurazaki Typhoon in September. Despite such a situation, the race between Hiroshima and Kure was held successfully.
Another replacement event was held in 1947, but the Chugoku Ekiden was revived in 1948 and ended up producing many great runners. Shigeki Tanaka, who died in 2022 at the age of 91, became the first Japanese runner to win the Boston Marathon in 1951 and gained attention as “Atomic Boy.” He contributed to two victories, first as a student at Shobara High School and later at Hiba Nishi High School after it merged with Shobara High School. The Chugoku Ekiden came to an end in 1995, succeeded by the National Inter-Prefectural Men’s Ekiden Race (Hiroshima Men’s Ekiden).
(Originally published on February 11, 2025)
On February 11, 1946, the Hiroshima-Kure Ekiden relay race was held. The event had begun in 1931 as a replacement for the Chugoku Ekiden, which had been run between Hiroshima and Fukuyama. In the ‘festival’ in support of Hiroshima’s recovery, a total of 170 people representing 20 teams participated in the general public and student divisions, passing team sashes from runner to runner.
The race course comprised a 56-kilometer round-trip route between the headquarters of the Chugoku Shimbun, the event organizer, in the area of Kaminagarekawa-cho (in Hiroshima present-day Naka Ward) and Hiroshima Prefectural Kure First Girls’ High School (present-day Kure Mitsuta High School). According to the 1988 edition of Nessofu, a Chugoku Ekiden commemorative magazine, “Many great runners had died in the war or in the atomic bombing, and some had not been demobilized from military service. With that, the lineups of runners were not complete. The athletes lacked sufficient practice and stamina, a situation faced by all the teams.”
Nevertheless, an article in the February 13 edition of the Chugoku Shimbun reported that cheering sections had gathered one after the other prior to the opening ceremony at 9:30 a.m. on February 11, with both runners and citizens eagerly awaiting the event. The article went on the report that the runners’ powerful strides “described a whirlwind of enthusiasm.” In the general public division of the race, the Aki Sports Association won with a time of 3 hours, 33 minutes, and 20 seconds. In the student division, Hiroshima First Middle School (present-day Kokutaiji High School) finished in 3 hours, 39 minutes, and 55 seconds.
Hideo Ikenoko, who died in 2015 at the age of 84, ran the fourth leg of the race and won that section for the former Sotoku Junior High School, which finished third in the student division. His oldest son, Hidetoshi, 68, a resident of Hiroshima’s Saeki Ward, offered his recollections. “My father had built up his lower body while carrying foodstuffs and other materials from his home to the market over a mountain pass,” he said. Mr. Ikenoko had been recruited by a university in Tokyo, but after losing his oldest brother in the bombing, he apparently chose to stop running after high school to support his family financially.
The Chugoku Ekiden enjoyed a long history, second only to the Hakone Ekiden, but had been cancelled the previous year, 1945. Hiroshima had been reduced to a scorched ruins by the bombing in August, and the prefecture’s transportation network, which was essential for organizing the race, was further damaged by the Makurazaki Typhoon in September. Despite such a situation, the race between Hiroshima and Kure was held successfully.
Another replacement event was held in 1947, but the Chugoku Ekiden was revived in 1948 and ended up producing many great runners. Shigeki Tanaka, who died in 2022 at the age of 91, became the first Japanese runner to win the Boston Marathon in 1951 and gained attention as “Atomic Boy.” He contributed to two victories, first as a student at Shobara High School and later at Hiba Nishi High School after it merged with Shobara High School. The Chugoku Ekiden came to an end in 1995, succeeded by the National Inter-Prefectural Men’s Ekiden Race (Hiroshima Men’s Ekiden).
(Originally published on February 11, 2025)
