A story told for Hiroshima bombing victims
We visited a museum created for the victims of the tragedy of the American bombing of Hiroshima on our trip to Japan. It was difficult to miss the gloomy atmosphere in this museum. As soon as I entered the premises, I saw a plethora of news reporters outside requesting interviews. There was what seemed to be a deep hush once we were inside the structure. It seemed almost as though we had entered a completely new universe once we obtained our tickets and really entered the Museum. The space was dimly lit, with the majority of the spotlight focused on photographs of people, objects, and apparel. Writing explaining the stories of these objects was attached to each side. I went through and read each one, and I have to admit that the mere act of sitting here and digesting it is making me sick and bringing tears to my eyes. During that day students were trying to rebuild their school so it could withstand the repeated bombings, which is why there were so many kids who lost their lives. The clothing, where you could see the remnants from the blast, such as blood, dried mud, etc., put it all into an even greater perspective and made it feel much more real.
Gonichi Kimura captured this picture of a woman whose skin had the design of her kimono imprinted into it. The statement “The heat-absorbed black or dark-colored portions of her kimono pattern were burned into her skin” is true.
Yoshito Matsushige captured this shot of a police officer who, despite being hurt, was aiding his community and issuing catastrophe certificates. It goes to show his sense of justice. That although he must have been in an imense amount of pain at the moment he showed up to give his community structure/order, so they can have someone to lean on, someone to go to.