Hiroshima Prefecture Consumers' Co-op Union Contributes to Completion of the 11th 'Hibakusha Atomic Bomb Drawings' Monument
2025.09.22
On August 6th, the vivid and harrowing events of that day have been captured in 4,000 paintings, preserved as data at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. These works depict the scenes around the hypocenter, created with all the strength and emotion of atomic bomb survivors. They are not merely the last messages of the survivors, but a lasting legacy expressed through art. The paintings convey the terrifying reality of the atomic bomb in a real and detailed manner. In Hiroshima, there is an initiative to transform these 'ultimate' paintings into ceramic plates and return them to the very street corners where the events they portray actually took place.
The Council for Returning Hibakusha Drawings of the Atomic Bombing to the City Streets (hereafter, the Monument Council), chaired by Dr. OKAMURA Nobuhide, President of Hiroshima Prefecture Consumers' Co-operative Union, with its secretariat at the same organization, is promoting an initiative to reproduce atomic bomb drawings by Hibakusha on ceramic plates and install them in public spaces. To date, ten monuments have been installed in Hiroshima City.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing, and after 19 years, the 11th monument was constructed, with an unveiling ceremony held on July 22. Preparations for the new monument, including selecting the drawings and candidate sites, began last spring in anticipation of this milestone. This project represents the first joint production between the Monument Council and Hiroshima City. The monument has been installed on the opposite bank of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, in a location from which the Atomic Bomb Dome is visible.
This site is located along the route from Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park to Honkawa Elementary School, a place where many lives were lost. It is hoped that many people will visit and feel the intentions and sentiments of the Hibakusha.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by 80 people, including President OKAMURA Nobuhide, MATSUI Kazumi, Mayor of the City of Hiroshima, and OKUHARA Tamaki, former principal of Honkawa Elementary School and the artist of one of the drawings.
The 11th monument was built with donations collected from co-ops across Japan. It is a testament to the solidarity of co-ops nationwide and the cooperation of many individuals. It is hoped that this monument will serve as a powerful message toward the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of lasting peace.
(Drawing at the top left) A little more than an hour after the bombing, Aioi Bridge was full of corpses. Many bodies were also floating in the river, and a horse was lying on its side with guts and filth spilling out from its large abdomen. The image is seared into my memory. (Summary of the artist's explanation; collected during the period of 1974-75)
Illustration by Tadashi Kimura; collection of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
(Drawing at the top right) This Illustration depicts the charred body of a four- or five-year-old boy that I saw on the bank of the Western Drill Ground (in the vicinity of the current Hiroshima Soccer Stadium) three days after the atomic bombing. (Artist's explanation; collected during the period of 1974-75)
Note: This is one of thirteen paintings which were exhibited in Oslo, Norway in December 2024 when the Nihon Hidankyo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Illustration by Masato Yamashita; collection of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
(Drawings at the bottom left) In 2022 I published an illustrated children's book based on the testimony of Kiyoko Imori, an elementary schooler who jumped into the Honkawa River immediately after the bombing in an attempt to flee. I really hope that their experiences will be passed on to the next generation. (Artist's explanation in 2025)
Note: The artist served as the principal of Honkawa Elementary School from 2003 to 2007.
Illustration by Tamaki Okuhara (Atomic Bomb Legacy Successor)
(Drawings at the bottom right) Almost 30 years after the atomic bombing, a river illuminated by lanterns and people's hopes. (Artist's explanation; collected during the period of 1974-75)
Note: The artist was 18 years old when she put her heart into painting this scene, having been inspired by hearing about her mother's experience of the atomic bombing. She also painted her mother's tragic experience of the bombing.
Illustration by Harue Takashiba (second generation hibakusha); collection of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
(Far-left: Description of the monument of drawings)
【At This Place, On That Day】
At 8:15 am on August 6, 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The target was the nearby Aioi Bridge, and the bomb exploded in the sky 600 meters above the ground. The intense heat rays, radiation, and blast wind caused the surface temperature around the hypocenter to reach 3,000-4,000°C, and countless citizens died.
The illustrations presented here were drawn by atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha) who witnessed the devastation of the atomic bombing in the immediate aftermath, and by those who carry on the legacy of the hibakusha experience.
Take the time to truly look at these illustrations. We call upon the people of Japan and the people of the world: never forget what has happened here. Look carefully at these works and keep them in your heart to help ensure that scenes such as these will never be repeated.
In December 2024, the Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations) was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. With the threat of nuclear war looming ever closer around the world, it is our hope that the appeals of the hibakusha will become a powerful force for prevention.
We shall not rest until the day that the atomic bombing of Hiroshima becomes a collective memory for humanity and all nuclear weapons on this earth have been abolished.
The Council for Returning Hibakusha Drawings of the Atomic Bombing to the City Streets
July 2025
Created by the Council for Returning Hibakusha Drawings of the Atomic Bombing to the City Streets and the City of Hiroshima
Cooperation from Yūzō Haranaka, Otsuka Ohmi Ceramics Co., Ltd., Stone Office Morishita Co., Ltd., Yamato-kogei Co.Ltd , LLC.
Note: The five stone plaques to which the illustrations and explanation panels are affixed are cobblestones that were unearthed during construction of Hiroshima Soccer Stadium located north of here. The cobblestones were once used at an army replacement depot for transport soldiers and the surface of these stones were charred in the atomic bombing.
