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Model of Hiroshima building made for footage of animated film

by Tomomi Shineha, Staff Writer

Hidefumi Shimaki, 59, a maker of model buildings who resides in the city of Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture, is now constructing a scale model, at 1/20 the actual size, of a former Hiroshima shop which sold fabric for kimono. The shop was called Taishoya Kimono Shop, and the building is currently used as the Rest House in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

When his work has been completed, the model will become the first used as part of footage for an animated film. The film project involves restoring the appearance of the former Nakajima District (today, the site of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park) prior to the atomic bombing through the use of computer animation. The Film Production Committee for the Restoration of Peace Memorial Park, led by Masaaki Tanabe, 72, the president of a film production company in Hiroshima, is undertaking this project.

Mr. Shimaki's scale model measures 45 centimeters in height, 90 centimeters in width, and 65 centimeters in depth. He began making the model in line with a design provided by the Film Production Committee last July and is set to complete it as early as mid-July.

Mr. Shimaki is also a first-class registered architect. He has created models of Japanese houses, but this is the first time he has made a model of a western-style building. Like previous models he has made, this model shows a close attention to the qualities of light and shadow as well as sophistication in its detailing. The small rolls of fabric and the kimono for children displayed in the model of the shop are all made by his wife Keiko, 62.

"Ordinary life was instantly destroyed in the atomic bombing," Mr. Shimaki said. "I hope people will reflect on war when they see my work." He is laboring at a quick pace and intends for his model to not only restore the appearance of the building, but also the happy life of the people who once lived there.

This fall, Mr. Shimaki is planning to start making a model of the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, now the A-bomb Dome. "I hope scale models of buildings can be used as one means of depicting the history of Hiroshima," he said earnestly.

It is believed that the impact of the film will be strengthened through the combination of computer animation and the appearance of sophisticated models. "We look forward to including the footage of scale models to restore the appearance of the area with even greater realism," said Mr. Tanabe.

Keywords

Taishoya Kimono Shop
The building for this shop selling fabric for kimono was built in 1929. It was a reinforced concrete building of three floors and a basement. During the war, it was closed under a law controlling the use of fabric. When the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the building was being used as the Fuel Hall. Situated only 170 meters from the hypocenter, the roof and other parts of the structure were damaged by the blast and the building was gutted by fire, leaving only the basement intact. Of the 37 workers in the building at the time, all of them perished, except for one person in the basement. The building was extensively renovated by the City of Hiroshima in 1982 to create the Rest House.

(Originally published on June 28, 2010)

Related articles
Computer animated footage of former Nakajima District screened at U.N. (May 7, 2010)
Original appearance of A-bomb Dome prior to atomic bombing will be restored via computer animation (Nov. 6, 2009)

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