Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima

        On August 6, 1945, an American plane, the Enola Gay, dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.   When the bomb was detonated at 8:15 in the morning, 70,000 people were instantly killed by the extreme heat.  By the end of 1945, approximately 140,000 people in Hiroshima had been killed by both the extreme heat of the initial detonation and the residual effects of the bomb’s radiation.  The entirety of the city’s wooden structures had been incinerated by the initial detonation or had burned as a result of the spreading fires.  Only the stronger, concrete structures remained; Hiroshima had been flattened into an unrecognizable city.  Later, another atomic bomb would be dropped on Nagasaki; although it was not as devastating as Hiroshima due to the hilly landscape in Nagasaki. 

            In response to both the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese government surrendered on August 14.  Thus WWII was now completely over. 

            The controversy surrounding the atomic bombings was extensive in multiple countries.  Supporters of the bombings cited how they caused a swift end to the war and prevented an Allied invasion of the Japanese mainland.  Thus, the bombings saved many lives.  Supporters of the atomic bomb also speak of how the atomic bomb was only a specialized fire bomb, which had been used in firestorm bombings of other Japanese cities.  These fire bombings had also killed more people than both of the atomic bombs.  Finally, supporters refer to the Japanese refusal of surrender even after Germany surrendered.  They state that Japan would never have surrendered unless something as devastating as an atomic bomb was detonated in one or two of their major cities. 

            Opponents to the atomic bomb cite the ethics of destroying cities composed of mostly civilians.  Although Hiroshima had had a military base, it also had a large civilian population.  There also existed other military bases where the United States could have demonstrated the bomb.  Opponents also protest the bombing of Nagasaki, stating that it was unnecessary.  The Nagasaki bomb was dropped only three days after the Hiroshima bombing, meaning that the Japanese government was still working to understand what exactly had happened in Hiroshima.  Opponents to the bombings state that if the United States had waited, perhaps then Japan would have surrendered after seeing the state of Hiroshima.  Those opposing the bomb also state that if the United States had not demanded absolute surrender from the Japanese and the removal of Emperor Hirohito from office, then Japan would have surrendered, thus rendering the use of the atomic bombs unnecessary. 

      When Hiroshima began to rebuild following the atomic bombing, the Japanese government 
classified the Genbaku Dome in 1950 as an historic site.  The Genbaku Dome was one of the rare buildings to survive the atomic bombings, as it had been built of concrete in 1910.  After it was reduced to a bare and skeletal state, the Japanese government decided to preserve it for posterity, so that multiple generations could see the effects of the atomic bomb.  In 1996, the Genbaku Dome was established as a UNESCO World Heritage site. 

      In 1955, the Peace Memorial Museum was opened to the public.  By 1964, the Peace Memorial Park was established around the Genbaku Dome.  This park has been the site of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, which is held every year on August 6. 

      Other monuments within the Peace Memorial Park include the Children’s Peace Monument, which is dedicated to the children victims of the Hiroshima bombings.  The monument is specifically focused on Sadako Sasaki, who due to exposure to atomic radiation at age two, contracted leukemia at nine.  She believed that if she could make 1,000 paper cranes, then she would be healed.  With her death, multiple Japanese schools and schools from nine other countries funded the construction of the Children’s Peace Monument.  There, approximately 10 million paper cranes are donated every year. 

      Other monuments include the Memorial Cenotaph, where the phrase “please rest in peace for we/they shall not repeat the error” is inscribed in Japanese and “Let all the souls here rest in peace for we shall not repeat the evil” is inscribed in English. 

     Three Peace Bells are also within the Peace Park.  Visitors are welcome to ring one of the bells to advocate for world peace.  The Gates of Peace are composed of ten gates which are inscribed with the word “peace” in 49 languages. 

      The Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound is am earthen hill which contains the ashes of 70,000 of those who perished in the bombs and were unable to be identified. 

       A cenotaph also exists for the Korean victims of the Hiroshima bombing.  Approximately 45,000 of the 400,000 people affected by the atomic radiation were Korean.  The monument serves to honor the Korean minority which perished in the Hiroshima bombing. 

      The memorials in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki hold the names of the hibakusha, Japanese affected by the atomic bombings.  By August 2014, the memorial at Hiroshima contains 292,325 hibakusha. 

- Shelby P. Class of 2015

Works Cited

"The Children's Peace Monument." The Children's Peace Monument. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2015. <http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/shimin/heiwa/monument.html>.

Engdahl, Sylvia. The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 1st ed. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven/Gale Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.

"Hibakusha." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibakusha#Representations>.

"Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)." UNESCO. UNESCO, n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2015. <http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/775>.

"Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima_Peace_Memorial_Park>.

"Paper Cranes and the Children's Peace Monument." Paper Cranes and the Children's Peace Monument. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2015. <http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/shimin/heiwa/crane.html>.