Archive for July, 2021

Koichi Wada

Thursday, July 8th, 2021

“It worries me to think that the passage of months and years tends to cloud memories and that the grave reality of the atomic bombings will eventually fade into the background.”
-Koichi Wada, Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor

長い年月を経るに従い人々の記憶もおぼろになり、被爆という重大な事実が風化され、忘れさられるのではないだろうか。
和田 耕一

I received the sad news that Koichi Wada passed away at the age of 94.

I photographed other hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) during my initial trips to Nagasaki who knew Wada-san but I didn’t have the opportunity to photograph him until 2016.  Our paths never crossed until Ayumi-san asked him about being photographed. 

At the time he had already lost many of his memories to dementia.  But during our conversation there were brief moments where he would remember something about his experience on August 9th, 1945.  Even though his memories were impeded by dementia I hope that his message to abolish nuclear weapons comes through in his portrait.  

Setsuko Thurlow

Wednesday, July 7th, 2021

Today is the 4th anniversary of the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).   On January 22nd (TPNW) it was enacted as international law.  Before this treaty nuclear weapons were the only weapons of mass destruction not banned by international law. 

Mrs. Setsuko Thurlow fought her entire life to see this treaty become reality.  I began photographing Mrs. Thurlow in 2011. From the moment we met her determination to fight for the abolition of nuclear weapons was evident.  She was 13 years old when the atomic bomb destroyed Hiroshima. 

 “When I sit down to write down my recollections of that time, I have to brace myself to confront my memories of Hiroshima.

It is exceedingly painful to do this because I become overwhelmed by my memories of grotesque and massive destruction and death.” -Setsuko Thurlow

Everyday I think about the survivors I met in Nagasaki and Hiroshima.  Most have passed but their memory lives on when the treaty banning nuclear weapons arrives.


Mrs. Thurlow’s portrait is part of my project, From Above, which is a collection portraits and reminiscences of atomic bomb survivors and fire bombing survivors from the Second World War.  It will be exhibited at Gallery ef in Tokyo on September 1st-12th.