As we mark the 70th anniversary of Hiroshima, the younger generation keeps the victims stories alive

By MiNDFOOD

Doves fly over Peace Memorial Park near Atomic Bomb Dome at a 70th anniversary ceremony in Hiroshima REUTERS/Toru Hanai
Doves fly over Peace Memorial Park near Atomic Bomb Dome at a 70th anniversary ceremony in Hiroshima REUTERS/Toru Hanai
We are still living in the aftershock of Hiroshima, people are still the scars of history -Edward Bond

Thousands have gathered in Hiroshima today to mark the 70th Anniversary of its destruction by the atomic bomb.

The horrors unleashed by the first nuclear weapon used against an enemy target are still shocking today. Over 80,000 civillians perished immediately from the United State’s Hiroshima attack, with thousands more dying as a result of radiation sickness in the years to come.

Doves fly over Peace Memorial Park near Atomic Bomb Dome at a 70th anniversary ceremony in Hiroshima REUTERS/Toru Hanai
Doves fly over Peace Memorial Park near Atomic Bomb Dome at a 70th anniversary ceremony in Hiroshima REUTERS/Toru Hanai

As Hiroshima’s atomic bomb survivors grow older, they are passing on their stories of the horrors they witnessed to the younger generation. The young people serve as “denshosha” – the designated transmitters of memories for survivors, ensuring their horrific experiences of the bombing will always remain fresh in our minds.

To be a denshosha, which is a voluntary undertaking, means you have a serious responsibility to keep telling the stories you inherit once the original witnesses become too frail to speak for themselves.

A pacifist sentiment has pervaded Japan since the bombing, although successive Prime Ministers have called for restrictions on its military power.  

Cultural amnesia is a dangerous thing, and this is not a tragedy the world needs repeated. 

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Print Recipe

BECOME A MiNDFOOD SUBSCRIBER TODAY

Let us keep you up to date with our weekly MiNDFOOD e-newsletters which include the weekly menu plan, health and news updates or tempt your taste buds with the MiNDFOOD Daily Recipe. 

Member Login