From "Children of Hiroshima"
Introducción Children of Hiroshima: An Appeal from the Children of Hiroshima was compiled by Professor Arata Osada (1887-1961) and published in 1951. He experienced the A-Bomb. Los niños de Hiroshima: un llamamiento de los niños de Hiroshima fue compilado por el profesor Osada Arata (1887-1961) y publicado en 1951. Vivió la A-bomba. He was appointed the president of the Hiroshima University of Humanities and Science in 1945 and retired the presidency in 1949. Fue nombrado presidente de la Universidad de Hiroshima de Humanidades y Ciencias en 1945 y se retiró a la Presidencia en 1949. The book is a collection of stories written by children who experienced the A-Bomb and has been translated into English, French, German and so on. El libro es una colección de historias escritas por los niños que experimentaron la A-bomba y ha sido traducido al Inglés, francés, alemán y así sucesivamente. In his preface of the book, Professor Osada wrote: En su prefacio del libro, el profesor Osada escribió: There is a branch office of the Osaka Bank about five hundred yards away from the center of the explosion....If you look at it, you will find it encloses a dark silhouette of a man printed on the stone wall and the steps. Hay una oficina de la sucursal del Banco de Osaka sobre quinientos metros del centro de la explosión .... Si nos fijamos en él, usted encontrará que encierra una oscura silueta de un hombre impresa en la pared de piedra y de las medidas. Upon these steps at the moment of the blast, a man must have been sitting, perhaps with an elbow on one knee and one hand supporting his chin, in an attitude of deep thought. Tras estos pasos en el momento de la explosión, un hombre debe haber sido la sesión, tal vez con un codo en una rodilla y una mano de apoyo a su mentón, en una actitud de profunda reflexión. The powerful action of the radioactive waves "printed" the outline of this man on the wall, marking the moment of his death. La poderosa acción de las olas radiactivos "impreso" el esbozo de este hombre en la pared, que marca el momento de su muerte. The dark silhouette is gradually disappearing and, as time passes, memories of that tragic time will gradually be forgotten. La silueta oscura está desapareciendo gradualmente y, como pasa el tiempo, los recuerdos de ese trágico momento poco a poco se puede olvidar. But the shadows will never lift from the hearts of the people of Hiroshima who lost their parents, brothers and sisters and friends. Pero las sombras nunca de levantar el corazón de la gente de Hiroshima que perdió a sus padres, hermanos y hermanas y amigos. Though they smile cheerfully in answer to inquiries after them from sympathizers and even appear carefree at times, the agony remains profound and lasting. A pesar de que alegremente sonrisa en respuesta a las preguntas después de simpatizantes e incluso a veces aparecen sin preocupaciones, la angustia sigue siendo profunda y duradera. He also wrote: También escribió:
It is my purpose here to present to the public a collection of essays written by boys and girls who were living in Hiroshima at the time the atom bomb fell. Es mi propósito aquí para presentar al público una colección de ensayos escritos por niños y niñas que vivían en Hiroshima en el momento de la bomba atómica cayó. The essays are accounts relating their personal experiences at the time. Los ensayos son cuentas sus experiencias personales en el momento. Due to the space limitation, we present only selected paragraphs and stories from the book. Debido a la limitación de espacio, presentamos sólo algunos párrafos y cuentos del libro. We hope this provides readers with a brief idea of what children felt and thought fifty years ago. We thank Dr. Jun Murai, a grandson of Professor Osada, for his efforts and cooperation to make this happen. Esperamos que este proporciona al lector una breve idea de lo que pensaban y sentían los niños hace cincuenta años. Damos las gracias al Dr. junio Murai, nieto de un profesor Osada, por sus esfuerzos y cooperación para que esto suceda.
Keiko Sasaki Keiko Sasaki 6 years old in 1945 6 años de edad en 1945 She (Grandmother) heard from a man who escaped from Hiroshima that the city was completely destroyed by the bomb. When she heard that, she went to Hiroshima right away. Ella (la abuela) oído de un hombre que escapó de Hiroshima que la ciudad fue completamente destruida por la bomba. Cuando se enteró de que, se fue a Hiroshima inmediatamente. When she came back after a week, I asked "Where's Mother?" Cuando regresó después de una semana, me preguntó: "¿Dónde está la madre?" "I brought her on my back" was the answer. "Me la trajo a mi espalda" fue la respuesta. I was very happy and shouted, "Mummy!" Yo estaba muy contento y gritó: "Mamá!" But when I looked closely, I saw she was only carrying a rucksack. Pero cuando miré de cerca, vi que era sólo llevar una mochila. I was disappointed. Me ha decepcionado. My sister and our neighbors began to cry. Mi hermana y los vecinos comenzaron a llorar. I couldn't understand why. No podía entender por qué. Then my grandmother put the rucksack down and took some bones out of it and showed them to everybody. Entonces mi abuela poner la mochila y tomó algunos de los huesos y les mostró a todo el mundo. There were my mother's gold tooth and a piece of her elbow bone. Hay mi madre diente de oro y un trozo de hueso de su codo. I still didn't understand. Todavía no entiendo.
Kimiko Takai Kimiko Takai 6th grade girl(5 years old at the time) 6to grado niña (5 años de edad en el momento) I shiver whenever I think of August 6, 1945, the day when Hiroshima was destroyed in just a few minutes. I temblar cuando pienso en el 6 de agosto de 1945, el día en que Hiroshima fue destruida en pocos minutos. I and a friend were playing at a neighbor's house when I heard the roar of an airplane. Yo y un amigo fueron a jugar en la casa de un vecino cuando oí el rugido de un avión. "It's an airplane," I said. "Es un avión", le dije. Right then, there was a flash. La derecha y luego, hubo un flash. I was so afraid that I hung on to the next-door lady, but she was more scared than I was. She shook me loose and threw her arms around her husband. Yo tenía tanto miedo que me colgaban a la siguiente puerta dama, pero ella estaba más asustado que yo. Ella me sacudió suelto y lanzó sus brazos alrededor de su marido. Then she took a cloth band out of a drawer and tied it around her waist. Luego tomó una banda de tela de un cajón y se ata alrededor de su cintura. After that, she and her husband ran out of the house. Después de eso, ella y su marido salió corriendo de la casa. My playmate Tatsuko and I didn't know what to do. Tatsuko mi juego y yo no sabía qué hacer. Suddenly, it got dark and something began to drop from the ceiling. We were so frightened that we just hung on to each other with our eyes wide open. De repente, se puso oscuro y comenzó a soltar algo del techo. Estábamos tan asustados que acabamos de colgar en el uno al otro con los ojos bien abiertos. It got lighter and lighter and after a while I heard Tatsuko's mother calling for her. Es ligero y tiene más ligera y después de un rato escuché Tatsuko la madre llamando para ella. She sounded very worried. Se escuchaba muy preocupado. She took Tatsuko with her and I was left alone. Tomó Tatsuko con ella y me quedé solo. I started to cry.
Empecé a llorar. A neighbor with dirt all over her face came out of the wreckage and said, "Don't cry. Your mother is near by." Un vecino con la suciedad en todo su rostro surgió de los escombros y dijo: "No llores. Su madre está cerca." She ran off, too, and I was alone again. Ella corrió, también, y yo estaba solo de nuevo. A little later, I heard my sister's voice through my sobs. Un poco más tarde, escuché a mi hermana a través de la voz de mis sollozos. I Iistened carefully. I Iistened cuidadosamente. I could hear her calling, "Kimiko! Kimiko!" Pude oír su llamada, "Kimiko! Kimiko!" with all her might. I was so glad that my eyes got full of tears. con todas sus fuerzas. Yo estaba tan contento de que tengo mis ojos llenos de lágrimas. My mother came, too. Mi madre vino, también. "Oh, Kimiko, I'm so glad to find you. And now your sister. Where could she be? I hope she hasn't been burned. Maybe, she's already dead," my mother said. "Oh, Kimiko, estoy muy contenta de encontrarte. Y ahora tu hermana. ¿Dónde puede estar? Espero que no se ha quemado. Tal vez, ella ya estaba muerto", dice mi madre. But we couldn't waste time. Pero no podíamos perder el tiempo. We were scared and wanted to get to a safe place. Nos tenían miedo y quería llegar a un lugar seguro. As we walked along, we saw soldiers with bloated stomachs floating down the river. A medida que caminamos a lo largo, vimos soldados con estómagos hinchados flotando río abajo. They probably had to dive into the river to get away from the flames. Probablemente tuvo que sumergirse en el río para escapar de las llamas. A little father on, we saw many dead people piled up at the side of the road. Un poco sobre el padre, vimos muchos muertos apilados a un lado de la carretera. As we walked on, my father saw a woman whose leg was caught under a large timber. A medida que caminaba, mi padre vio a una mujer cuya pierna fue atrapada bajo una gran madera. She couldn't get free so he shouted for help but no one came. Ella no podía obtener gratis lo que gritaba por ayuda pero nadie vino. Everyone was too busy trying to get away to pay any attention to anyone else. Todo el mundo estaba demasiado ocupado tratando de salir a pagar ninguna atención a nadie. Finally, my father shouted angrily, "Aren't any of you Japanese?" Por último, mi padre gritó con ira: "¿No son ninguno de ustedes japonés?" Then he got the woman loose by sawing off her leg with a rusty, old saw. Luego llegó la mujer suelta por aserrado frente a la pierna con un oxidado, viejo vio. Further on, we saw a man who must have been burned to death while he was walking. Más adelante, vimos a un hombre que debe haber sido quemados hasta la muerte mientras se encontraba caminando. Mother said that she couldn't go any further and told us to go on without her. Madre dice que no puede ir más allá y nos dijeron que ir sin ella. She sat down to rest but we couldn't go on by ourselves, leaving her behind. Ella se sentó para descansar, pero no hemos podido ir a por nosotros mismos, dejando detrás de ella. Then she scooped up a handful of muddy water from the roadside and drank it. Luego, recogida de un puñado de agua fangosa de la orilla de la carretera y se bebió. This must have made her feel better because she got up and joined us again. Este debe tener la hizo sentir mejor, porque ella se levantó y se unió a nosotros otra vez. As we got to the countryside, farmers stared at us in amazement and asked us what had happened. Como llegamos al campo, los agricultores nos miraba con asombro y nos preguntó lo que había sucedido. When we passed farm houses, people would come out and give us rice balls to eat, or ask us whether we would like to wash our faces. Cuando pasamos casas, las personas que vienen y nos dan bolas de arroz para comer, o nos preguntan si queremos lavar nuestras caras. We stayed with our relatives for about a month. Nos quedamos con nuestros familiares por alrededor de un mes. After we arrived, Mother complained that her back hurt. Después de nuestra llegada, la madre se quejó de que su espalda herido. I looked at her back and found a piece of glass about 3/4 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches long stuck in it. Miré a sus espaldas y encontró un trozo de vidrio de aproximadamente 3 / 4 pulgadas de ancho y 1 1 / 2 pulgadas de largo pegado en ella. It had gone in quite deep because she had been carrying my brother on her back. Se había ido de forma muy profunda porque había venido a mi hermano en la espalda. We went to see a doctor and learned that we had been rather lucky. Many people had died and hundreds had been injured. Fuimos a ver a un médico y se enteró que había sido más bien suerte. Muchas personas han muerto y cientos han sido heridos. From the next day, Father went out looking for my sister. The bomb had exploded over Aioi Bridge, near the Hiroshima post office where my sister worked. Desde el día siguiente, el padre salió en busca de mi hermana. La bomba había estallado durante el puente Aioi, cerca de la oficina de correos de Hiroshima donde trabajaba mi hermana. She must have died without time to call for her mother or even to say, "Oh!" Ella debe haber muerto sin tiempo para llamar a su madre o incluso a decir: "¡Oh!" My uncle and aunt had gone to a place near
the post office to collect some manure that day and both were killed. Mi tío y tía había ido a un lugar cerca de la oficina de correos para recoger el estiércol que algunos días y ambos fueron asesinados. Their ashes were brought back to us, though. Sus cenizas fueron traídas a nosotros, sin embargo. Not even my sister's ashes have come back to us. Ni siquiera mi hermana cenizas han regresado a nosotros. All but one of the workers at the post office was killed. Todos menos uno de los trabajadores en la oficina de correos fue asesinado. He picked up the remains of the other workers and then took a little of the ashes to each of the dead persons' families. Él recogió los restos de los demás trabajadores y, a continuación, tomó un poco de las cenizas a cada una de las personas muertas a las familias. We put the ashes before God and prayed that my sister would rest in peace. Ponemos las cenizas y rezó ante Dios de que mi hermana que en paz descanse.
Yasuo Fujita Yasuo Fujita 5 years old in 1945 5 años de edad en 1945 The saddest thing for me was that I lost my brother, sister and grandmother. Lo más triste para mí fue que perdí a mi hermano, hermana y abuela. My grandmother was folding up some quilts and things and when the house fell she was caught under many beams. Mi abuela fue doblado hasta edredones y algunas cosas y cuando se le cayó la casa fue sorprendido en muchos haces. She screamed for help but the beams were too heavy for my father to lift alone. Ella gritó por ayuda, pero las vigas son demasiado pesadas para mi padre a levantar solos. They brought our sister to us about three days after the bombing but she had lost so much blood that she died two days later. Ellos trajeron a nuestra hermana con nosotros unos tres días después de los bombardeos, pero que había perdido tanta sangre que murió dos días más tarde. My brother was missing for about four months. Mi hermano había desaparecido durante unos cuatro meses. Then one day, we heard they had found him but when we went to take a look all we saw was some buttons lying here and there. Entonces un día, hemos oído que él había encontrado, pero cuando fuimos a echar un vistazo todo lo que vi fue tumbado algunos botones aquí y allá.
Masatada Asaeda Masatada Asaeda 3rd Grade Student in 1945 3er Grado para estudiantes en 1945 When we were playing in the school ground, an airplane came, but we kept on playing, only saying "Why did they give the all-clear?" Cuando estábamos jugando en la escuela de tierra, un avión llegó, pero seguimos jugando, sólo diciendo "¿Por qué dar el todo-claro?" All of a sudden, there was something like lightening and I covered my face with my hands. De pronto, hubo algo así como un rayo y mi cara cubierta con mis manos. When I opened my eyes and looked around, it was dark and I couldn't see anything. Cuando abrí los ojos y miró a su alrededor, estaba oscuro y no podía ver nada. While I was feeling around in the darkness, it became light. Si bien me sentía de todo en la oscuridad, se hizo la luz. I was thinking of going home, and I found that all the houses around me had been destroyed and fires were burning here and there. Yo estaba pensando en ir a casa, y me pareció que todas las casas a mi alrededor han sido destruidos y los incendios son la quema de aquí y allá. I started running home, crying and calling, "Mother! Mother!" But I couldn't tell where my house had been. I just went around this way and that, and then I heard my sister calling my name. I was shocked when I saw her, because she was stained with blood all over. I looked at myself; the skin of both my arms and feet had peeled away and was hanging off. I didn't know what all this meant, and I was frightened, so I burst into tears. Meanwhile, Mother had crawled out from the pile of tiles and dragged an overcoat and Father's cloak out of a trunk and wrapped us in them. Empecé a correr a casa, llorando y llamando, "¡Madre! Madre!" Pero yo no podía decirle que mi casa ha sido. Me pasó de todo y que de esta manera y, a continuación, oí a mi hermana llamando a mi nombre. Me sorprendió cuando La vi, porque estaba manchada con sangre por todas partes. Miré a mi mismo, la piel de mis brazos y pies de distancia había pelado y colgaba fuera. Yo no sabía lo que significaba todo esto, y yo estaba asustado, por lo que me puso a llorar. Mientras tanto, la madre había rastreado a partir de la pila de fichas y arrastró un abrigo y el padre del manto de un tronco y envuelto en ellos. We spent the night in Yasu Shrine in Gion. Because of their burns, everyone was crying for water all night. The
next morning, we were taken by truck to a Buddhist temple in Kabe. That night, my sister died. Pasamos la noche en el Santuario Yasu en Gion. Debido a su quema, todo el mundo estaba llorando por el agua toda la noche. A la mañana siguiente, que fueron llevados en camiones a un templo budista en Kabe. Esa noche, mi hermana murió. How can I describe Mother's grief? How can I describe the horrible scenes I saw in the temple then? Who can imagine the miseries we went through except those who were there themselves? It is entirely beyond my power to put the terrible sight into words. Countless people suffering from burns and wounds, groaning with pain, their bodies covered with maggots, and dying in delirium, one after another. It was hell on earth. ¿Cómo puedo describir el dolor de la madre? ¿Cómo puedo describir los horribles escenas que vi en el templo entonces? ¿Quién puede imaginar las miserias que vivió con excepción de los que estaban allí sí? Es totalmente más allá de mi poder para poner en la vista de los terribles palabras. innumerables las personas que sufren de quemaduras y heridas, gimiendo de dolor, sus cuerpos cubiertos de gusanos, y morir en delirio, una tras otra. Es el infierno en la tierra.
Yasuko Moritaki Yasuko Moritaki 4th grade in 1945 4 º grado en 1945 World War I was supposed to be a war to end all wars, but all it did was bring about World War II. La Primera Guerra Mundial que se suponía que era una guerra para poner fin a todas las guerras, pero todo lo que hicimos fue lograr la Segunda Guerra Mundial. The vast amount of money which is being spent on the production of arms should be used for the recovery of the nations of the world and the advancement of civilization. La gran cantidad de dinero que se gasta en la producción de armas deben utilizarse para la recuperación de las naciones del mundo y el adelanto de la civilización. If weapons are used again, more innocent people's lives will be lost and cultures destroyed. Si se utilizan de nuevo las armas, más la vida de personas inocentes se perderán y culturas destruidas. More and more testing and production of atom bombs is going on in countries where people are crying, 'No more Hiroshimas.' Más y más pruebas y la producción de bombas atómicas que está sucediendo en los países donde la gente está llorando, "No más Hiroshimas".
Introduction Introducción Children of Hiroshima: An Appeal from the Children of Hiroshima was compiled by Professor Arata Osada (1887-1961) and published in 1951. He experienced the A-Bomb. Los niños de Hiroshima: un llamamiento de los niños de Hiroshima fue compilado por el profesor Osada Arata (1887-1961) y publicado en 1951. Vivió la A-bomba. He was appointed the president of the Hiroshima University of Humanities and Science in 1945 and retired the presidency in 1949. Fue nombrado presidente de la Universidad de Hiroshima de Humanidades y Ciencias en 1945 y se retiró a la Presidencia en 1949. The book is a collection of stories written by children who experienced the A-Bomb and has been translated into English, French, German and so on. El libro es una colección de historias escritas por los niños que experimentaron la A-bomba y ha sido traducido al Inglés, francés, alemán y así sucesivamente. In his preface of the book, Professor Osada wrote: En su prefacio del libro, el profesor Osada escribió: There is a branch office of the Osaka Bank about five hundred yards away from the center of the explosion....If you look at it, you will find it encloses a dark silhouette of a man printed on the stone wall and the steps. Hay una oficina de la sucursal del Banco de Osaka sobre quinientos metros del centro de la explosión .... Si nos fijamos en él, usted encontrará que encierra una oscura silueta de un hombre impresa en la pared de piedra y de las medidas. Upon these steps at the moment of the blast, a man must have been sitting, perhaps with an elbow on one knee and one hand supporting his chin, in an attitude of deep thought. Tras estos pasos en el momento de la explosión, un hombre debe haber sido la sesión, tal vez con un codo en una rodilla y una mano de apoyo a su mentón, en una actitud de profunda reflexión. The powerful action of the radioactive waves "printed" the outline of this man on the wall, marking the moment of his death. La poderosa acción de las olas radiactivos "impreso" el esbozo de este hombre en la pared, que marca el momento de su muerte. The dark silhouette is gradually disappearing and, as time passes, memories of that tragic time will gradually be forgotten. La silueta oscura está desapareciendo gradualmente y, como pasa el tiempo, los recuerdos de ese trágico momento poco a poco se puede olvidar. But the shadows will never lift from the hearts of the people of Hiroshima who lost their parents, brothers and sisters and friends. Pero las sombras nunca de levantar el
corazón de la gente de Hiroshima que perdió a sus padres, hermanos y hermanas y amigos. Though they smile cheerfully in answer to inquiries after them from sympathizers and even appear carefree at times, the agony remains profound and lasting. A pesar de que alegremente sonrisa en respuesta a las preguntas después de simpatizantes e incluso a veces aparecen sin preocupaciones, la angustia sigue siendo profunda y duradera. He also wrote: También escribió: It is my purpose here to present to the public a collection of essays written by boys and girls who were living in Hiroshima at the time the atom bomb fell. Es mi propósito aquí para presentar al público una colección de ensayos escritos por niños y niñas que vivían en Hiroshima en el momento de la bomba atómica cayó. The essays are accounts relating their personal experiences at the time. Los ensayos son cuentas sus experiencias personales en el momento. Due to the space limitation, we present only selected paragraphs and stories from the book. Debido a la limitación de espacio, presentamos sólo algunos párrafos y cuentos del libro. We hope this provides readers with a brief idea of what children felt and thought fifty years ago. We thank Dr. Jun Murai, a grandson of Professor Osada, for his efforts and cooperation to make this happen. Esperamos que este proporciona al lector una breve idea de lo que pensaban y sentían los niños hace cincuenta años. Damos las gracias al Dr. junio Murai, nieto de un profesor Osada, por sus esfuerzos y cooperación para que esto suceda.
Keiko Sasaki Keiko Sasaki 6 years old in 1945 6 años de edad en 1945 She (Grandmother) heard from a man who escaped from Hiroshima that the city was completely destroyed by the bomb. When she heard that, she went to Hiroshima right away. Ella (la abuela) oído de un hombre que escapó de Hiroshima que la ciudad fue completamente destruida por la bomba. Cuando se enteró de que, se fue a Hiroshima inmediatamente. When she came back after a week, I asked "Where's Mother?" Cuando regresó después de una semana, me preguntó: "¿Dónde está la madre?" "I brought her on my back" was the answer. "Me la trajo a mi espalda" fue la respuesta. I was very happy and shouted, "Mummy!" Yo estaba muy contento y gritó: "Mamá!" But when I looked closely, I saw she was only carrying a rucksack. Pero cuando miré de cerca, vi que era sólo llevar una mochila. I was disappointed. Me ha decepcionado. My sister and our neighbors began to cry. Mi hermana y los vecinos comenzaron a llorar. I couldn't understand why. No podía entender por qué. Then my grandmother put the rucksack down and took some bones out of it and showed them to everybody. Entonces mi abuela poner la mochila y tomó algunos de los huesos y les mostró a todo el mundo. There were my mother's gold tooth and a piece of her elbow bone. Hay mi madre diente de oro y un trozo de hueso de su codo. I still didn't understand. Todavía no entiendo.
Kimiko Takai Kimiko Takai 6th grade girl(5 years old at the time) 6to grado niña (5 años de edad en el momento) I shiver whenever I think of August 6, 1945, the day when Hiroshima was destroyed in just a few minutes. I temblar cuando pienso en el 6 de agosto de 1945, el día en que Hiroshima fue destruida en pocos minutos. I and a friend were playing at a neighbor's house when I heard the roar of an airplane. Yo y un amigo fueron a jugar en la casa de un vecino cuando oí el rugido de un avión. "It's an airplane," I said. "Es un avión", le dije. Right then, there was a flash. La derecha y luego, hubo un flash. I was so afraid that I hung on to the next-door lady, but she was more scared than I was. She shook me loose and threw her arms around her husband. Yo tenía tanto miedo que me colgaban a la siguiente puerta dama, pero ella estaba más asustado que yo. Ella me sacudió suelto y lanzó sus brazos alrededor de su marido. Then she took a cloth band out of a drawer and tied it around her waist. Luego tomó una banda de tela de un cajón y se ata alrededor de su cintura. After that, she and her husband ran out of the house. Después de eso, ella y su marido salió corriendo de la casa. My playmate Tatsuko and I didn't know what to do. Tatsuko mi juego y yo no sabía qué hacer. Suddenly, it got dark and something began to drop from the ceiling. We were so frightened that we just hung on to each other
with our eyes wide open. De repente, se puso oscuro y comenzó a soltar algo del techo. Estábamos tan asustados que acabamos de colgar en el uno al otro con los ojos bien abiertos. It got lighter and lighter and after a while I heard Tatsuko's mother calling for her. Es ligero y tiene más ligera y después de un rato escuché Tatsuko la madre llamando para ella. She sounded very worried. Se escuchaba muy preocupado. She took Tatsuko with her and I was left alone. Tomó Tatsuko con ella y me quedé solo. I started to cry. Empecé a llorar. A neighbor with dirt all over her face came out of the wreckage and said, "Don't cry. Your mother is near by." Un vecino con la suciedad en todo su rostro surgió de los escombros y dijo: "No llores. Su madre está cerca." She ran off, too, and I was alone again. Ella corrió, también, y yo estaba solo de nuevo. A little later, I heard my sister's voice through my sobs. Un poco más tarde, escuché a mi hermana a través de la voz de mis sollozos. I Iistened carefully. I Iistened cuidadosamente. I could hear her calling, "Kimiko! Kimiko!" Pude oír su llamada, "Kimiko! Kimiko!" with all her might. I was so glad that my eyes got full of tears. con todas sus fuerzas. Yo estaba tan contento de que tengo mis ojos llenos de lágrimas. My mother came, too. Mi madre vino, también. "Oh, Kimiko, I'm so glad to find you. And now your sister. Where could she be? I hope she hasn't been burned. Maybe, she's already dead," my mother said. "Oh, Kimiko, estoy muy contenta de encontrarte. Y ahora tu hermana. ¿Dónde puede estar? Espero que no se ha quemado. Tal vez, ella ya estaba muerto", dice mi madre. But we couldn't waste time. Pero no podíamos perder el tiempo. We were scared and wanted to get to a safe place. Nos tenían miedo y quería llegar a un lugar seguro. As we walked along, we saw soldiers with bloated stomachs floating down the river. A medida que caminamos a lo largo, vimos soldados con estómagos hinchados flotando río abajo. They probably had to dive into the river to get away from the flames. Probablemente tuvo que sumergirse en el río para escapar de las llamas. A little father on, we saw many dead people piled up at the side of the road. Un poco sobre el padre, vimos muchos muertos apilados a un lado de la carretera. As we walked on, my father saw a woman whose leg was caught under a large timber. A medida que caminaba, mi padre vio a una mujer cuya pierna fue atrapada bajo una gran madera. She couldn't get free so he shouted for help but no one came. Ella no podía obtener gratis lo que gritaba por ayuda pero nadie vino. Everyone was too busy trying to get away to pay any attention to anyone else. Todo el mundo estaba demasiado ocupado tratando de salir a pagar ninguna atención a nadie. Finally, my father shouted angrily, "Aren't any of you Japanese?" Por último, mi padre gritó con ira: "¿No son ninguno de ustedes japonés?" Then he got the woman loose by sawing off her leg with a rusty, old saw. Luego llegó la mujer suelta por aserrado frente a la pierna con un oxidado, viejo vio. Further on, we saw a man who must have been burned to death while he was walking. Más adelante, vimos a un hombre que debe haber sido quemados hasta la muerte mientras se encontraba caminando. Mother said that she couldn't go any further and told us to go on without her. Madre dice que no puede ir más allá y nos dijeron que ir sin ella. She sat down to rest but we couldn't go on by ourselves, leaving her behind. Ella se sentó para descansar, pero no hemos podido ir a por nosotros mismos, dejando detrás de ella. Then she scooped up a handful of muddy water from the roadside and drank it. Luego, recogida de un puñado de agua fangosa de la orilla de la carretera y se bebió. This must have made her feel better because she got up and joined us again. Este debe tener la hizo sentir mejor, porque ella se levantó y se unió a nosotros otra vez. As we got to the countryside, farmers stared at us in amazement and asked us what had happened. Como llegamos al campo, los agricultores nos miraba con asombro y nos preguntó lo que había sucedido. When we passed farm houses, people would come out and give us rice balls to eat, or ask us whether we would like to wash our faces. Cuando pasamos casas, las personas que vienen y nos dan bolas de arroz para comer, o nos preguntan si queremos lavar nuestras caras. We stayed with our relatives for about a month. Nos quedamos con nuestros familiares por alrededor de un mes. After we arrived, Mother complained that her back hurt. Después de nuestra llegada, la madre se quejó de que su espalda herido. I looked at her back and found a piece of glass about 3/4 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches long stuck in it. Miré a sus espaldas y encontró un trozo de vidrio de aproximadamente 3 / 4 pulgadas de ancho y 1 1 / 2 pulgadas de largo pegado en ella. It had gone in quite deep because she had been carrying my brother on her back. Se había ido de forma muy profunda porque había venido a mi hermano en la espalda. We went to see a doctor and learned that we had been rather lucky. Many people had died and hundreds had been injured. Fuimos a ver a un médico y se enteró que había sido más bien suerte. Muchas personas han muerto y cientos han sido heridos.
From the next day, Father went out looking for my sister. The bomb had exploded over Aioi Bridge, near the Hiroshima post office where my sister worked. Desde el día siguiente, el padre salió en busca de mi hermana. La bomba había estallado durante el puente Aioi, cerca de la oficina de correos de Hiroshima donde trabajaba mi hermana. She must have died without time to call for her mother or even to say, "Oh!" Ella debe haber muerto sin tiempo para llamar a su madre o incluso a decir: "¡Oh!" My uncle and aunt had gone to a place near the post office to collect some manure that day and both were killed. Mi tío y tía había ido a un lugar cerca de la oficina de correos para recoger el estiércol que algunos días y ambos fueron asesinados. Their ashes were brought back to us, though. Sus cenizas fueron traídas a nosotros, sin embargo. Not even my sister's ashes have come back to us. Ni siquiera mi hermana cenizas han regresado a nosotros. All but one of the workers at the post office was killed. Todos menos uno de los trabajadores en la oficina de correos fue asesinado. He picked up the remains of the other workers and then took a little of the ashes to each of the dead persons' families. Él recogió los restos de los demás trabajadores y, a continuación, tomó un poco de las cenizas a cada una de las personas muertas a las familias. We put the ashes before God and prayed that my sister would rest in peace. Ponemos las cenizas y rezó ante Dios de que mi hermana que en paz descanse.
Yasuo Fujita Yasuo Fujita 5 years old in 1945 5 años de edad en 1945 The saddest thing for me was that I lost my brother, sister and grandmother. Lo más triste para mí fue que perdí a mi hermano, hermana y abuela. My grandmother was folding up some quilts and things and when the house fell she was caught under many beams. Mi abuela fue doblado hasta edredones y algunas cosas y cuando se le cayó la casa fue sorprendido en muchos haces. She screamed for help but the beams were too heavy for my father to lift alone. Ella gritó por ayuda, pero las vigas son demasiado pesadas para mi padre a levantar solos. They brought our sister to us about three days after the bombing but she had lost so much blood that she died two days later. Ellos trajeron a nuestra hermana con nosotros unos tres días después de los bombardeos, pero que había perdido tanta sangre que murió dos días más tarde. My brother was missing for about four months. Mi hermano había desaparecido durante unos cuatro meses. Then one day, we heard they had found him but when we went to take a look all we saw was some buttons lying here and there. Entonces un día, hemos oído que él había encontrado, pero cuando fuimos a echar un vistazo todo lo que vi fue tumbado algunos botones aquí y allá.
Masatada Asaeda Masatada Asaeda 3rd Grade Student in 1945 3er Grado para estudiantes en 1945 When we were playing in the school ground, an airplane came, but we kept on playing, only saying "Why did they give the all-clear?" Cuando estábamos jugando en la escuela de tierra, un avión llegó, pero seguimos jugando, sólo diciendo "¿Por qué dar el todo-claro?" All of a sudden, there was something like lightening and I covered my face with my hands. De pronto, hubo algo así como un rayo y mi cara cubierta con mis manos. When I opened my eyes and looked around, it was dark and I couldn't see anything. Cuando abrí los ojos y miró a su alrededor, estaba oscuro y no podía ver nada. While I was feeling around in the darkness, it became light. Si bien me sentía de todo en la oscuridad, se hizo la luz. I was thinking of going home, and I found that all the houses around me had been destroyed and fires were burning here and there. Yo estaba pensando en ir a casa, y me pareció que todas las casas a mi alrededor han sido destruidos y los incendios son la quema de aquí y allá. I started running home, crying and calling, "Mother! Mother!" But I couldn't tell where my house had been. I just went around this way and that, and then I heard my sister calling my name. I was shocked when I saw her, because she was stained with blood all over. I looked at myself; the skin of both my arms and feet had peeled away and was hanging off. I didn't know what all this meant, and I was frightened, so I burst into tears. Meanwhile, Mother had crawled out from the pile of tiles and dragged an overcoat and Father's cloak out of a trunk and wrapped us in them. Empecé a correr a casa, llorando y llamando, "¡Madre! Madre!" Pero yo no podía decirle que mi casa ha sido. Me pasó de todo y que de esta manera y, a continuación, oí a mi hermana
llamando a mi nombre. Me sorprendió cuando La vi, porque estaba manchada con sangre por todas partes. Miré a mi mismo, la piel de mis brazos y pies de distancia había pelado y colgaba fuera. Yo no sabía lo que significaba todo esto, y yo estaba asustado, por lo que me puso a llorar. Mientras tanto, la madre había rastreado a partir de la pila de fichas y arrastró un abrigo y el padre del manto de un tronco y envuelto en ellos. We spent the night in Yasu Shrine in Gion. Because of their burns, everyone was crying for water all night. The next morning, we were taken by truck to a Buddhist temple in Kabe. That night, my sister died. Pasamos la noche en el Santuario Yasu en Gion. Debido a su quema, todo el mundo estaba llorando por el agua toda la noche. A la mañana siguiente, que fueron llevados en camiones a un templo budista en Kabe. Esa noche, mi hermana murió. How can I describe Mother's grief? How can I describe the horrible scenes I saw in the temple then? Who can imagine the miseries we went through except those who were there themselves? It is entirely beyond my power to put the terrible sight into words. Countless people suffering from burns and wounds, groaning with pain, their bodies covered with maggots, and dying in delirium, one after another. It was hell on earth. ¿Cómo puedo describir el dolor de la madre? ¿Cómo puedo describir los horribles escenas que vi en el templo entonces? ¿Quién puede imaginar las miserias que vivió con excepción de los que estaban allí sí? Es totalmente más allá de mi poder para poner en la vista de los terribles palabras. innumerables las personas que sufren de quemaduras y heridas, gimiendo de dolor, sus cuerpos cubiertos de gusanos, y morir en delirio, una tras otra. Es el infierno en la tierra.
Yasuko Moritaki Yasuko Moritaki 4th grade in 1945 4 º grado en 1945 World War I was supposed to be a war to end all wars, but all it did was bring about World War II. La Primera Guerra Mundial que se suponía que era una guerra para poner fin a todas las guerras, pero todo lo que hicimos fue lograr la Segunda Guerra Mundial. The vast amount of money which is being spent on the production of arms should be used for the recovery of the nations of the world and the advancement of civilization. La gran cantidad de dinero que se gasta en la producción de armas deben utilizarse para la recuperación de las naciones del mundo y el adelanto de la civilización. If weapons are used again, more innocent people's lives will be lost and cultures destroyed. Si se utilizan de nuevo las armas, más la vida de personas inocentes se perderán y culturas destruidas. More and more testing and production of atom bombs is going on in countries where people are crying, 'No more Hiroshimas.' Más y más pruebas y la producción de bombas atómicas que está sucediendo en los países donde la gente está llorando, "No más Hiroshimas".
ntroduction Children of Hiroshima: An Appeal from the Children of Hiroshima was compiled by Professor Arata Osada (1887-1961) and published in 1951. He experienced the A-Bomb. He was appointed the president of the Hiroshima University of Humanities and Science in 1945 and retired the presidency in 1949. The book is a collection of stories written by children who experienced the A-Bomb and has been translated into English, French, German and so on. In his preface of the book, Professor Osada wrote: There is a branch office of the Osaka Bank about five hundred yards away from the center of the explosion....If you look at it, you will find it encloses a dark silhouette of a man printed on the stone wall and the steps. Upon these steps at the moment of the blast, a man must have been sitting, perhaps with an elbow on one knee and one hand supporting his chin, in an attitude of deep thought. The powerful action of the radioactive waves "printed" the outline of this man on the wall, marking the moment of his death. The dark silhouette is gradually disappearing and, as time passes, memories of that tragic time will gradually be forgotten. But the shadows will never lift from the hearts of the people of Hiroshima who lost their parents, brothers and sisters and friends. Though they smile cheerfully in answer to inquiries after them from sympathizers and even appear carefree at times, the agony remains profound and lasting. He also wrote:
It is my purpose here to present to the public a collection of essays written by boys and girls who were living in Hiroshima at the time the atom bomb fell. The essays are accounts relating their personal experiences at the time. Due to the space limitation, we present only selected paragraphs and stories from the book. We hope this provides readers with a brief idea of what children felt and thought fifty years ago. We thank Dr. Jun Murai, a grandson of Professor Osada, for his efforts and cooperation to make this happen.
Keiko Sasaki 6 years old in 1945 She (Grandmother) heard from a man who escaped from Hiroshima that the city was completely destroyed by the bomb. When she heard that, she went to Hiroshima right away. When she came back after a week, I asked "Where's Mother?" "I brought her on my back" was the answer. I was very happy and shouted, "Mummy!" But when I looked closely, I saw she was only carrying a rucksack. I was disappointed. My sister and our neighbors began to cry. I couldn't understand why. Then my grandmother put the rucksack down and took some bones out of it and showed them to everybody. There were my mother's gold tooth and a piece of her elbow bone. I still didn't understand.
Kimiko Takai 6th grade girl(5 years old at the time) I shiver whenever I think of August 6, 1945, the day when Hiroshima was destroyed in just a few minutes. I and a friend were playing at a neighbor's house when I heard the roar of an airplane. "It's an airplane," I said. Right then, there was a flash. I was so afraid that I hung on to the next-door lady, but she was more scared than I was. She shook me loose and threw her arms around her husband. Then she took a cloth band out of a drawer and tied it around her waist. After that, she and her husband ran out of the house. My playmate Tatsuko and I didn't know what to do. Suddenly, it got dark and something began to drop from the ceiling. We were so frightened that we just hung on to each other with our eyes wide open. It got lighter and lighter and after a while I heard Tatsuko's mother calling for her. She sounded very worried. She took Tatsuko with her and I was left alone. I started to cry. A neighbor with dirt all over her face came out of the wreckage and said, "Don't cry. Your mother is near by." She ran off, too, and I was alone again. A little later, I heard my sister's voice through my sobs. I Iistened carefully. I could hear her calling, "Kimiko! Kimiko!" with all her might. I was so glad that my eyes got full of tears. My mother came, too. "Oh, Kimiko, I'm so glad to find you. And now your sister. Where could she be? I hope she hasn't been burned. Maybe, she's already dead," my mother said. But we couldn't waste time. We were scared and wanted to get to a safe place. As we walked along, we saw soldiers with bloated stomachs floating down the river. They probably had to dive into the river to get away from the flames. A little father on, we saw many dead people piled up at the side of the road. As we walked on, my father saw a woman whose leg was caught under a large timber. She couldn't get free so he shouted for help but no one came. Everyone was too busy trying to get away to pay any attention to anyone else. Finally, my father shouted angrily, "Aren't any of you Japanese?" Then he got the woman loose by sawing off her leg with a rusty, old saw. Further on, we saw a man who must have been burned to death while he was walking. Mother said that she couldn't go any further and told us to go on without her. She sat down to rest but we couldn't go on by ourselves, leaving her behind. Then she scooped up a handful of muddy water from the roadside and drank it. This must have made her feel better because she got up and joined us again.
As we got to the countryside, farmers stared at us in amazement and asked us what had happened. When we passed farm houses, people would come out and give us rice balls to eat, or ask us whether we would like to wash our faces. We stayed with our relatives for about a month. After we arrived, Mother complained that her back hurt. I looked at her back and found a piece of glass about 3/4 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches long stuck in it. It had gone in quite deep because she had been carrying my brother on her back. We went to see a doctor and learned that we had been rather lucky. Many people had died and hundreds had been injured. From the next day, Father went out looking for my sister. The bomb had exploded over Aioi Bridge, near the Hiroshima post office where my sister worked. She must have died without time to call for her mother or even to say, "Oh!" My uncle and aunt had gone to a place near the post office to collect some manure that day and both were killed. Their ashes were brought back to us, though. Not even my sister's ashes have come back to us. All but one of the workers at the post office was killed. He picked up the remains of the other workers and then took a little of the ashes to each of the dead persons' families. We put the ashes before God and prayed that my sister would rest in peace.
Yasuo Fujita 5 years old in 1945 The saddest thing for me was that I lost my brother, sister and grandmother. My grandmother was folding up some quilts and things and when the house fell she was caught under many beams. She screamed for help but the beams were too heavy for my father to lift alone. They brought our sister to us about three days after the bombing but she had lost so much blood that she died two days later. My brother was missing for about four months. Then one day, we heard they had found him but when we went to take a look all we saw was some buttons lying here and there.
Masatada Asaeda 3rd Grade Student in 1945 When we were playing in the school ground, an airplane came, but we kept on playing, only saying "Why did they give the all-clear?" All of a sudden, there was something like lightening and I covered my face with my hands. When I opened my eyes and looked around, it was dark and I couldn't see anything. While I was feeling around in the darkness, it became light. I was thinking of going home, and I found that all the houses around me had been destroyed and fires were burning here and there. I started running home, crying and calling, "Mother! Mother!" But I couldn't tell where my house had been. I just went around this way and that, and then I heard my sister calling my name. I was shocked when I saw her, because she was stained with blood all over. I looked at myself; the skin of both my arms and feet had peeled away and was hanging off. I didn't know what all this meant, and I was frightened, so I burst into tears. Meanwhile, Mother had crawled out from the pile of tiles and dragged an overcoat and Father's cloak out of a trunk and wrapped us in them. We spent the night in Yasu Shrine in Gion. Because of their burns, everyone was crying for water all night. The next morning, we were taken by truck to a Buddhist temple in Kabe. That night, my sister died. How can I describe Mother's grief? How can I describe the horrible scenes I saw in the temple then? Who can imagine the miseries we went through except those who were there themselves? It is entirely beyond my power to put the terrible sight into words. Countless people suffering from burns and wounds, groaning with pain, their bodies covered with maggots, and dying in delirium, one after another. It was hell on earth.
Yasuko Moritaki 4th grade in 1945 World War I was supposed to be a war to end all wars, but all it did was bring about World War II. The vast amount of money which is being spent on the production of arms should be used for the recovery of the nations of the world and the advancement of civilization. If weapons are used again, more innocent people's lives will be lost and cultures destroyed. More and more testing and production of atom bombs is going on in countries where people are crying, 'No more Hiroshimas.'
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Self-portrait on the theme of peace < Course in creative expression at Motomachi High School, Hiroshima > “In this painting, I’m praying for the souls of the dead in war and expressing my wish for a hopeful future,” said Natsumi Morita, 17, whose self-portrait shows the image of herself holding a candle in a wide, burnt wasteland. Megumi Tanaka, 18, based her own self-portrait on the question, “What can I do for peace?” These paintings were created in a course that began six years ago. Students at that time often spontaneously chose peace as a theme for their work, so peace became the official theme three years ago.
Students in the course explaining their work to the junior writer (third from the left). Inspiration for the paintings comes from war-related movies or books and sometimes includes their grandparents’ stories about their war experience. After clarifying the image for their paintings, it takes about one month to finish these works of B1 size (103cm ×72.8cm). For Eri Kanomaru, 17, her grandparents’ words “There’s little freedom during war” prompted the idea, “We should appreciate that we live each day in freedom.” So she painted herself taking a deep breath. These self-portraits will be shown at an exhibition in Hiroshima in August and the artists hope that visitors will reflect on peace as they look at the paintings. Then, after the exhibition, a catalogue of the artwork will be produced.(Yuki Sakata, 13)
Megumi Tanaka’s self-portrait
Eri Kanomaru’s self-portrait
Natsumi Morita’s self-portrait
Painting the A-bomb Dome for 23 years< Hiroshi Hara, 75, Hiroshima >
Mr. Hara painting the A-bomb Dome. (photo by Reika Konno, 12) Since 1984, when he established the group “Talk about Hiroshima,” Hiroshi Hara has painted 1950 pictures of the A-bomb Dome. He then donates these paintings to elementary schools and junior high schools where he talks about his experience as a survivor of the bombing. First, he makes a sketch of the dome with a ball-point pen. Since a sketch in pen is permanent, this technique concentrates his desire to forcefully express the idea that “human beings and nuclear weapons cannot co-exist”. Next, he uses watercolors to add light color to the image. The fact that he saw such harsh colors in Hiroshima the day after the bombing-the charred corpses and burning ruins-has made him choose “soft colors” for his work. Though Mr. Hara has been hospitalized twice, in 2002 and 2003, the “power from the A-bomb Dome” enables him to continue painting. He says, “My mission is to pass on the call of the A-bomb Dome to the next generation.” His present goal is to complete 2000 paintings by August 6 of this year. (Reika Konno, 12)
Mr. Hara’s 500th painting. It was completed on the day that the A-bomb Dome was registered as a world heritage site.
In 2004, Mr.Hara completed his 1500th painting.
This picture was created to express his opposition to building a tall condominium close to the A-bomb Dome.
Myth of Tomorrow, Taro Okamoto Taro Okamoto (1911-1996) is a famous Japanese painter and “Myth of Tomorrow” is a masterpiece that depicts the bombing. It is currently on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo.
This huge mural (5.5m x 30m) was painted in Mexico in 1968-69, but it went missing for many years. It was rediscovered in 2003 and returned to Japan. The owner of the mural, The Taro Okamoto Memorial Foundation, is now pondering a permanent home for the mural.
Taro Okamoto’s “Myth of Tomorrow” (photo by Kazuo Kirita) The people of Hiroshima are actively engaged in bringing the mural to Hiroshima. Last year a group was formed to work towards this goal and, on May 22nd, they presented the Mayor of Hiroshima with a petition that had 27,503 signatures and urged him to lobby for the mural’s move to Hiroshima. A representative of the group, Yoshimichi Ishimaru, says, “Hiroshima is the natural home for this mural. We will continue our activities with this aim in mind.”
Collaborating with an American painter < artist and the child of a survivor, Masaru Tanaka, 37, Hiroshima >
left:Masaru Tanaka right:Betsie Miller-Kusz Since 1999, Masaru Tanaka has been involved in creative work with Betsie Miller-Kusz, 62, whose father was part of the Manhattan Project which produced the atomic bombs. He calls this work “Project for a New Peace Century”. He integrates his photos with Ms. Miller-Kusz’s paintings, expressing the idea that human beings can overcome conflict and work together to create peace. So far, they have collaborated on 63 pieces, including “MOTHER” which depicts the United States after the terrorist attack and “White Rain” which was set in Peace Memorial Park.
“MOTHER”
“White Rain”
“JSA-03”
Oil painting on the atomic bomb< Masakatsu Seko, 65, Hiroshima >
Masakatsu Seko “Roof Tiles from the Bombing” is a painting which shows the roof tiles that were blown off his house by the blast. They melted in the heat of the explosion and hardened into strange forms. In the background is the Abomb Dome, the Children’s Peace Monument, and origami cranes in flight. In this painting, Mr. Seko expressed his wish for no more such tragedies in the world. When the atomic bomb fell, he was just three years old. At the time, he had been evacuated to the countryside to avoid air attacks, but he says, “I can still clearly recall the many wounded who were carried our way from the city.”
“Roof Tiles from the Bombing”
Oil paintings on the atomic bomb< Shiro Shirai, 73, Hiroshima >
Shiro Shirai Since the second year of the Hiroshima Peace Art Exhibition, in 1956, Shiro Shirai’s paintings have been displayed at this exhibition each year. Last year, he created a painting which depicted the image of three grieving souls in black rain, who lost their family in the bombing. His paintings are inspired by his own experience: watching the mushroom cloud in Hatsukaichi, near Hiroshima, and his older brother who was burned in the blast. To share his thoughts with children, he published a children’s book in 1989. The book tells the story of a monkey and a little girl and the monkey eventually dies as a result of the bombing. He also lends the original paintings for this book to local community centers.
Mr. Shirai’s painting last year, “How far is a cry heard?”
One of the paintings for his children’s book.
One of the paintings for his children’s book.
Portraits of atomic bomb survivors < Hiroshima City University, Faculty of Art, Hiroshima > Over the past three years, 60 portraits of A-bomb survivors have been created by students, teachers, and alumni of Hiroshima City University. Each portrait is displayed with text which shares the person’s memories of the bombing and their life afterwards. Professor Hideo Oya of the Faculty of Art painted a woman who had been a student at the time of the bombing. She gave a vivid account of her experience: after seeing the flash, she was blown by the blast and her clothes were scorched. These 60 portraits include the children and grandchildren of A-bomb survivors. ※Click to view larger images and read the personal stories of the models (Japanese only).
Portrait 1 Yuko Nagayama
Portrait 12 Yoshie Imai
Portrait 36 Emi Kawamoto
Portrait 56 Hideo Oya