Cries of the Soul from Hiroshima
Have you often heard about Hiroshima?
Hiroshima and Nagasaki are remembered for their atomic strikes during World War II. At the end of World War II, the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Several reports and sources say that in just a few seconds, an atomic bomb can explode and send a mushroom-shaped cloud up to 13 kilometers into the air above Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After that, a heat wave ripped through the city, starting fires and pouring ash over the whole area.
The result was a huge amount of damage. At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, planes dropped the “Little Boy” bomb by parachute. Tens of thousands of people were killed and 70% of the city’s buildings were destroyed when the bomb, which was equal to 15,000 tons of TNT, went off 2,000 feet above Hiroshima.
The remains of Japan’s largest industrialized metropolis, the Atomic Dome, remind us of the disaster. Actually, this is not my first visit to this place, but I didn’t know how awful this was until I visited the museum.
To memorialize the catastrophe, the Japanese government constructed the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, with construction beginning in February 1951.
The museum is right in the middle of Hiroshima City, in a big complex with a park, a peace memorial hall, and an international conference center.
The Atomic Bomb Dome, also called the Hiroshima Peace Monument, is the main draw for tourists.
When the bomb exploded, the dome was one of the few structures that remained standing until now. Japan’s tragic history can be seen in the Atomic Bomb Dome, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
With an elongated building, this museum contains various photos, drawings, personal items left behind by the victims, and other displays. The effects of the bombing are expressed through the use of these materials, along with coherent and clear descriptive explanations.
Actually, it is almost the same as other museums with similar contents.
But the difference is how the photos and narratives that are built can stir our emotions.
In just one hour of my visit, I felt the enormity of the event.
The photographs and stories that are created have the power to evoke strong emotions, though.
I could feel how big the event was even in that short amount of time.
Many victims of the atomic bomb are still dealing with the psychological and physical effects of the explosion. We can see different paintings that show how bad the event was but might be too cruel to be shown. This is how the message gets across.
It’s hard to imagine that the families and victims who were left behind might still be in pain and remember sad things.
There are letters written with love from parents to their children, such as the ones addressed to Sakiko-san and Yoji-san. A letter written with love from parents to their children. There is nothing happier than seeing them healthy and happy. This short letter really moves my heart.
One of the victims, a young boy, still kept a diary where he wrote about how his body was getting weaker and weaker, which was making it hard for him to focus on studies. His dream is to become a professor, and he wants to keep studying abroad. He also wrote that he was determined to live, since if he died, who would care for his parents?
A diary written with such sincerity from the heart…:-(
There is also a narrative about the journey of a family that had to struggle a lot because the father suffered from severe depression after the incident, which had an effect on the collapse of a family bond.
Or the story of a little girl who grew up and was eventually able to start a family, but everything fell apart gradually after she was diagnosed with cancer.
We could also find a photo of a soldier describing how nuclear radiation caused extensive bleeding in his gums and mouth, along with the results of his tongue autopsy.
Don’t miss a 3-wheeled bicycle belonging to a 3-year-old child complete with a tiny helmet who was also a victim of that time. I can’t imagine how sad his family was every time they saw a bicycle and a small child passing by in front of them.
Then a story about the little girl Sadako.
In early August 1955, Sadako heard an old saying: Fold 1,000 paper cranes, and your wish will come true. She started folding them using the small paper that came in her medicine pack and other available paper.
It is said that she folded 1,000 cranes in less than a month. But in early October, Sadako’s condition weakened dramatically. She had severe joint pain and could no longer feed herself.
And it only got worse.
Sadako passed away on October 25, with all her family by her side.
The postmortem examination showed that leukemia had invaded almost every part of her body, and thyroid cancer was also found in addition to the skin cancer that had been detected earlier.
These stories are so detailed and moving that they serve as a reminder that war is always painful for everyone on earth.
The impact of the bombing has caused immense and unnecessary pain, eliminated a massive loss of life, and caused an invaluable loss of property. The impact was not only felt at the time, but has continued for decades afterwards.
The events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki warn us not to repeat this humanitarian disaster. The human suffering they caused is still being felt and disturbing our humanity.
The grief, sorrow, and despair never end.
Even today, the cries of their souls—can you still hear them?
