![]() Kiriake recalls that soon after that dark day, she was crossing the charred ruins of the city when she tripped over a large black stone-like block. Kiriake's story is not just about the physical mayhem caused by nuclear weapons, but also the corrosive and traumatic mental damage suffered by the victims. It is said that the rivers of Hiroshima were covered with corpses that fateful day. Those who suffered severe burns jumped into nearby rivers, only to float on the surface as dead bodies. As a result, a massive number of students either perished or sustained grievous burn injuries due to the atomic bomb that day. According to her family, the girl died "with her eyeballs popped out and her ears torn off".ĭue to labour shortage during those days, the students of national elementary schools were required to work in city areas and factories rather than attend their classes. After the end of the war, she visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and found the belongings of a girl who had been killed while crossing the same bridge at the same moment that day. The split-second decision to stop for a breather saved her life. Just as she stepped into the shadow of a riverside warehouse to rest for a while, the bomb exploded. On the morning of 6 August, the day the atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima, 15-year-old Kiriake was crossing a bridge on her way to the hospital. We used to play here, catching them with a bucket and a net." "There used to be a ditch here, where crucian carps and killifishes swam. While taking Savioz on a tour of the depot, Kiriake shared her story, beginning with her childhood memories before the war escalated. ![]() It is said that many died there without receiving proper medical treatment. Back then, it served as a temporary first-aid station and many injured flooded into the facility even though it was 2.7 kilometers away from the hypocenter. Though the blast caused its iron doors to develop bends, the building is still standing. The depot was used to manufacture and store soldiers' uniforms, military shoes and rucksacks before it was bombed. ![]() On 6 September 2021, approximately 76 years after the first atomic bombing in human history, Régis Savioz and Chieko Kiriake met at the clothing depot of Imperial Japanese Army in the city of Hiroshima. Okuno is often dubbed the "Greta Thunberg of Hiroshima". Along with Keita, another youth activist, Kako Okuno, will also participate in the conference. The interaction, which goes back to September 2021, left a huge impression on the mind of Keita, who has been advocating for abolition of nuclear weapons. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |