Record of A-bomb song is donated to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Jun. 4, 2010
by Kazunobu Ito, Staff Writer
On June 2, a 78-rpm record entitled "Give Me Back My Smile (Song of a Hiroshima Maiden),” which expresses the feelings of one A-bomb survivor through song, was donated to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The record had belonged to Tomin Harada, a doctor who, in his career, worked tirelessly to treat A-bomb survivors. Akira Yamamoto, 56, a resident of Nishi Ward, Hiroshima, a music lover who had been given the record, found it after a long time and offered to donate it to the museum.
The song was based on a poem written by Michiko Sako, 78. In 1953, Ms. Sako, then 20, wrote about the pain of the burns she suffered in the atomic bombing and appealed for peace. For the recording of the song, the singer Fumiko Yotsuya was joined by a chorus of seven women, all A-bomb survivors, who were under treatment in Tokyo at the time. Currently, very few records of the song are left, including copies owned by Ms. Sako and those involved in the recording.
Mr. Yamamoto, Ms. Sako, and Mr. Harada's eldest son Yoshihiro, 73, visited the museum and handed the record to Koichiro Maeda, director of the museum. Mr. Maeda expressed appreciation for the donation, saying, "This is a precious item. Though we have a recording of the audio, we had no actual record. So we're very grateful for your generosity."
Ms. Sako was pleased with the donation. "When I wrote the poem, I poured out my feelings, which I couldn't voice at the time," she said. "It's wonderful that this memory of my life will be preserved in the museum."
(Originally published on June 3, 2010)
On June 2, a 78-rpm record entitled "Give Me Back My Smile (Song of a Hiroshima Maiden),” which expresses the feelings of one A-bomb survivor through song, was donated to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The record had belonged to Tomin Harada, a doctor who, in his career, worked tirelessly to treat A-bomb survivors. Akira Yamamoto, 56, a resident of Nishi Ward, Hiroshima, a music lover who had been given the record, found it after a long time and offered to donate it to the museum.
The song was based on a poem written by Michiko Sako, 78. In 1953, Ms. Sako, then 20, wrote about the pain of the burns she suffered in the atomic bombing and appealed for peace. For the recording of the song, the singer Fumiko Yotsuya was joined by a chorus of seven women, all A-bomb survivors, who were under treatment in Tokyo at the time. Currently, very few records of the song are left, including copies owned by Ms. Sako and those involved in the recording.
Mr. Yamamoto, Ms. Sako, and Mr. Harada's eldest son Yoshihiro, 73, visited the museum and handed the record to Koichiro Maeda, director of the museum. Mr. Maeda expressed appreciation for the donation, saying, "This is a precious item. Though we have a recording of the audio, we had no actual record. So we're very grateful for your generosity."
Ms. Sako was pleased with the donation. "When I wrote the poem, I poured out my feelings, which I couldn't voice at the time," she said. "It's wonderful that this memory of my life will be preserved in the museum."
(Originally published on June 3, 2010)
