Peace Memorial Museum reopens on April 25 with renewed exhibition to convey reality of atomic bombing
Apr. 25, 2019
by Kanako Noda, Staff Writer
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was shown to the press on April 24, the day before the official reopening of its main building. It now displays more personal belongings of A-bomb victims and other authentic artifacts with a view to appealing directly to the senses of visitors to convey the catastrophe caused by the atomic bomb and the inhumanity of nuclear weapons.
The “Cries of the Soul” section of the museum was shown to the media for the first time. In this section, visitors can learn about the suffering of victims and their family members. Clothing that victims were wearing at the time of the bombing, notes that they wrote, and their photos are displayed with explanations. In this way, visitors to the museum will be able to reflect on each victim’s life. Clothing that includes a blouse and a dress are displayed on a table tilted at a 40-degree angle so that visitors can easily imagine the victims wearing them. A section highlighting non-Japanese victims has also been newly created.
In the “Devastation on August 6” section, which had already been partly open to the media, clothing and cloth bags are displayed in the center. They belonged to students who were helping to tear down houses to create a fire lane when the bomb exploded. Surrounding these personal belongings are large artifacts such as a steel frame that was bent by the blast. Photos of victims suffering from severe burns are displayed along with drawings made by survivors. The exhibits have been carefully created so that visitors can imagine what the devastation of the bombing was actually like.
In the main building, a total of 538 items are on display, including 305 artifacts, of which six are replicas, along with photos and drawings of the atomic bombing.
This is the third major renovation of the museum. An advisory committee began reviewing the exhibits in August 2010. Now visitors can learn about the reality of the atomic bombing in the main building, and the dangers of nuclear weapons and the history of Hiroshima, including its postwar recovery and peace activities, in the east building. The east building was reopened to the public in April 2017 after renovations there were completed.
Keywords
Renovation of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
The museum’s main building opened in 1955, and the east building opened in 1994. In March 2014, the City of Hiroshima began full-scale renovations of the main building, a nationally-designated important cultural property, with a view to better conveying the devastation caused by the atomic bombing and the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons as well as making the museum earthquake resistant. The east building was closed in September 2014 to renovate its exhibition space and reopened in April 2017. Then the main building was closed for interior renovations and quakeproofing. The seismic reinforcement work will be completed by the end of fiscal 2019. The total project cost is 7.035 billion yen. The number of visitors to the museum in fiscal 2018 was 1,522,453. The number of international visitors reached 434,838, breaking the record for six consecutive years.
(Originally published on April 25, 2019)
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was shown to the press on April 24, the day before the official reopening of its main building. It now displays more personal belongings of A-bomb victims and other authentic artifacts with a view to appealing directly to the senses of visitors to convey the catastrophe caused by the atomic bomb and the inhumanity of nuclear weapons.
The “Cries of the Soul” section of the museum was shown to the media for the first time. In this section, visitors can learn about the suffering of victims and their family members. Clothing that victims were wearing at the time of the bombing, notes that they wrote, and their photos are displayed with explanations. In this way, visitors to the museum will be able to reflect on each victim’s life. Clothing that includes a blouse and a dress are displayed on a table tilted at a 40-degree angle so that visitors can easily imagine the victims wearing them. A section highlighting non-Japanese victims has also been newly created.
In the “Devastation on August 6” section, which had already been partly open to the media, clothing and cloth bags are displayed in the center. They belonged to students who were helping to tear down houses to create a fire lane when the bomb exploded. Surrounding these personal belongings are large artifacts such as a steel frame that was bent by the blast. Photos of victims suffering from severe burns are displayed along with drawings made by survivors. The exhibits have been carefully created so that visitors can imagine what the devastation of the bombing was actually like.
In the main building, a total of 538 items are on display, including 305 artifacts, of which six are replicas, along with photos and drawings of the atomic bombing.
This is the third major renovation of the museum. An advisory committee began reviewing the exhibits in August 2010. Now visitors can learn about the reality of the atomic bombing in the main building, and the dangers of nuclear weapons and the history of Hiroshima, including its postwar recovery and peace activities, in the east building. The east building was reopened to the public in April 2017 after renovations there were completed.
Keywords
Renovation of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
The museum’s main building opened in 1955, and the east building opened in 1994. In March 2014, the City of Hiroshima began full-scale renovations of the main building, a nationally-designated important cultural property, with a view to better conveying the devastation caused by the atomic bombing and the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons as well as making the museum earthquake resistant. The east building was closed in September 2014 to renovate its exhibition space and reopened in April 2017. Then the main building was closed for interior renovations and quakeproofing. The seismic reinforcement work will be completed by the end of fiscal 2019. The total project cost is 7.035 billion yen. The number of visitors to the museum in fiscal 2018 was 1,522,453. The number of international visitors reached 434,838, breaking the record for six consecutive years.
(Originally published on April 25, 2019)
