We began our time in Hiroshima with a historical walking tour, meeting at the Gokoku-jinja Torii Gate. Our enthusiastic guide Emmy helped us learn how to appropriately pass through a Torri Gate, the procedure to wash hands and mouth before presenting yourself to the temple. She also taught us the procedure for waking the gods by clapping your hands and ringing a bell to process make a wish or a prayer. We then moved on to the Hiroshima Castle. We learned that castles are susceptible to burning, they were often rounded by multiple moats for protection, as there were no rocks to build walls in Japan. We learned that the castles are often topped with what looks like Koi fish with a dragon mouth and the mythical belief that this could protect the castle by shooting out water. Should fire come. We learned some amusing facts about the reference the Japanese for the Koi fish and the cost of these fish often assign of external wealth when people pay $30-$40,000 for fish. These fish can get huge, as we observed, they can live up to 30 years.
Emmy provided an excellent overview of Japanese history with movie suggestions to enhance our understating, she was particularly fond of the Tom Cruise and “The Last Samurai” which we all enjoyed. She explained the 268 years when Japan was completely isolated, dictated by the ruling military, the Tokugawa Shogun and emperor who had control of the country, known as the Edo period. During this time there was a distinct class system. Strict social order and relative peace, lead economic growth, a focus on widespread education, art, culture and infrastructure. She explained the role of the emperor and how it has changed over time and years of the feudal system with ongoing wars between competing clans and warlords. She spoke with respect about the Samurai culture and its ongoing influence of Japan, but also explained their principle of fighting until death lead to the Japanese “will not surrender approach to war”. The country opened to influence from the rest of the world initially with Portuguese traders, but the Americans, Captain Perry leading a delegation to open trade routes. As Japan witnessed how the West had been aggressively colonizing Southeast Asia for their natural resources it realized a need to take an aggressive approach to colonization as it did not have enough natural resources, particularly energy to support is large population and ongoing modernization. This led to rapid and aggressive expansion throughout Southeast Asia, through the Indochina wars. Although Japan sided with the Allies during World War I, its relationship with the US was becoming more challenging with Japan’s expanding empire. She explained how Japan found an alliance with Russia during the second world war as it continued its expansion efforts into French Indochina, the American held Philippines and the Dutch West Indies (now Indonesia). Japan, like Canada. treated the people of those colonies in a terrible way.
Our tour took a brief break at the lucky bakery, an amazing bakery, the Lucky Bakery, located In the Hiroshima Gate Park where the previous baseball field was turned into a communal area surrounded by shops and restaurants. Following our break, we had on to see the atomic bomb dome. This is one of the most well-known sites of Hiroshima representing the destruction of the atomic bomb. The dome survived as it had been one of the new “European designs”, supported with steel. In the rebuilding of the city there had been great debates about whether to keep the dome; it has now become a very strong, visual representation of the devastating effects of nuclear war. It is surrounded by the Hiroshima peace Park, a beautiful natural park that has been created to promote peace and reconciliation. The Children’s Peace Memorial honouring all the children who died because of the atomic bomb is very moving. We learned how the death of 12-year-old, Sadako Sasaki from Leukemia, 10 years after her exposure to the atomic bomb black rain, led her classmates to inspire children across the country to participate in a fundraising campaign by making paper cranes to support the building of a memorial for all children who died as a result of nuclear war. In the Hiroshima Memorial Museum, you learned that Sadako herself had folded 1000 paper cranes before she died, based on a Japanese proverb that doing this would allow a wish to be granted, her wish was to LIVE!
The Hiroshima Memorial Museum is an incredible museum advocating for nonviolent conflict, resolution, and the end to nuclear war. There is a moving audio guide, where you hear stories of people lost or lives devastated in forever changed by the atomic bomb. You hear personal accounts, see artwork and drawings about the aftermath and see personal effects of many of the victims. You hear families describe the devastation of losing their loved ones or suffering for many years with diseases related to the atomic bomb. There is a vivid description of the black rain, the purple skim blotches, the pleading mucous membranes the extreme thirst and extensive burns and keloids scars. You learned about “bomb sickness”, Leukemia, thyroid cancer, infertility, PTSD, and many of the other effects of the bomb. There is a very moving video display from above of what Hiroshima was like in the seconds before the bomb, a visual display of the mushroom cloud, and the short time it took to devastate the city. The Museum finishes with section about why Hiroshima was selected by the US as a target city; being on flatland, intentionally having not received much prior bombing and damage in the war, and because it was an important port and source of weapon. Our Guide Emmy had shared that the Japanese military government have been given numerous warnings by the Americans about a new and devastating weapon that would be used against them if they did not surrender. She explained that many Japanese now recognize the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the Kamikaze fighter pilots (highly honoured who flew with the intention of death and destruction) and Japan’s military government refusal to surrender all led to the bombing of Hiroshima. She explained how the military government convinced Japanese people living on the first Islands the Americans would reach in war efforts against Japan to commit suicide rather be captured by Americans, saying they would be tortured and killed. Retrospectively those who did not kill themselves reported that the Americans were very respectful to their captees. Emmy also explained that she and others feel the bomb on Nagasaki, coming three days after Hiroshima, happened because the Japanese military continued to refuse to surrender. With the weakening of the Japanese army the threat of Russia invading Japan was imminent, this was considered a significant threat of Russia becoming more superpower and threat to the United States. Emmy shared that her grandmother who lived in Hiroshima at the time of the bomb was surprised to learn on the radio from the Emperor’s announcement after the bombing of Nagasaki that Japan had surrendered. Reportedly the propaganda in the news consistently told the people of Japan, they were winning the war. The Nuclear bombs lead to at least 300,000 people’s death, the numbers are likely low given the long-term effects of nuclear exposure. The final portion of the peace Memorial Museum focusses on the movement towards nuclear disarm and the steps that have been taken. Our family agrees every world leader and anyone holding the codes to nuclear weapons, should have to see this museum!