Hibakusha

Poster announcing the exhibit

Two framed pieces

This afternoon I finally made time to go see the Hibakusha exhibit that's been here in town for a while.  I was so afraid I would miss it; time does have a way of getting away from me here.  It is a collection of drawings and artwork done by the survivors of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, effectively putting an end to World War II with Japan. 

Incinerated bodies

Holding on for dear life

I remember as a girl that we observed these days faithfully, with a moment of silence. Now the August anniversaries come and go without much attention, or so it seems to me.

Larger piece in the stairwell

As I expected, much of the artwork was dark--lots of blacks and reds.  What did strike me was the primitiveness of many of the drawings and sketches. After I thought about it a while, it made sense, as these were not done by professional artists--most of the art was an attempt to recreate what they remembered.

The organizers of the exhibit explained that there were almost no photos of the human carnage, as by the time photographers arrived on the scene, the bodies had been removed.  Professional photographers and artists did eventually get there, but in the immediate aftermath, documenting the scene took a secondary role to saving lives.

A crane curtain hangs in the stairwell

White cranes in the glass case

I was enchanted by the cranes--I learned  the story of Sadako and the 1000 Cranes when I was a young teenager.  I wonder if school children still learn this.  There were two "curtains" of cranes handing in the stairwell and a cloud of cranes of all sizes hanging overhead.  I thought of all the souls of the departed.

From under the crane "cloud"

I know it's easy to wallow in pathos over the horror of those bombings.  I have to try to keep some perspective; we were at war, after all.  It's so easy for me to sit in the safety of distant future and pass judgment on the use of those bombs.  The Japanese certainly committed their fair share of atrocities on their enemies.  Nobody has clean hands.

Blue crane

           But this?  This power that we have to exterminate in a single blow, entire cities?  To poison the air and ground?  To inflict suffering on so large a scale on our fellow human beings?  There just has to be a better way.  

And when I hear leaders rattling nuclear sabers, I can only trust that cooler heads will prevail.  

Hope