“Since the bomb detonated above the city thestrong blast and flash of light hit our house which was located on a hill. All the glass from the windows was smashed. My father thought a regular bomb dropped on the roof because tiles had blown off, so he went onto the roof to get rid of it, although he quickly discovered it was not a regular bomb. As the day progressed my parents saw the mushroom cloud rise above Nagasaki.” -Noboru Tasaki, Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivor
Noboru Tasaki was a year and 4 months old when the atomic bomb was over Nagasaki. His entire family was bombed. He was the second youngest of 8 siblings – his mother was pregnant with his younger brother. The family’s home was located in a town outside of the city called Yokoo, about 5.5km (3.5 miles) from the hypocenter.
This portrait is a part of my From Above project which featured portraits of atomic bomb and firebombing survivors from WWII. My limited edition book is available at https://www.photoeye.com/bookstore/citation.cfm?catalog=I1040&i&i2&fbclid=IwAR1MsnTQNUo5AAD7OGWp_hM1LlvM8_zojBgUwd4s-Q7Hhs4HGFzIs33pZAI
From Above at Gallery ef. From Above, consists of portraits and reminiscences of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and WWII firebombing survivors from Dresden, Coventry, Tokyo, Wielun and Rotterdam.
“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
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.
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.
I received the sad news that Mrs. Emiko Okada passed away on April 9th. I photographed Mrs. Okada in Hiroshima during 2010. She experienced the atomic bomb when she was eight years old, at her home 2.8km from the hypocenter. She devoted her life traveling the world to promote peace and the importance of nuclear disarmament.
Although Mrs. Okada endured living a difficult life, she never spoke begrudgingly. She describes herself as a “mouthpiece” for the departed.
“My sister was 12 years old. She went out and never came back.” Mrs. Okada’s elder sister has been missing since August 6th, 1945. Mrs. Emiko’s daughter has struggled against an incurable disease that decreases the number of blood platelets, most likely caused by the radiation that Mrs. Okada was exposed to.
I haven’t met many other individuals so devoted to teaching young people about peace and reconciliation. Mrs. Okada was 84 years old.
Yesterday the Asahi newspaper in Nagasaki included my opinion about the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) which was enacted as international law on January 22nd. A big thank you to Mizuki Enomoto for asking me to contribute to her article.
I began photographing atomic bomb survivors (hibakusha) in 2008 and will continue to do so until the last voice goes silent. In 2011 these portraits were published as a book, From Above. Everyday I think about the people I met in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Most have passed but their memory lives on when the treaty banning nuclear weapons arrives.
“When I sit to write 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, Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor
On
January 22nd the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) will be enacted
as international law. 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. Mrs. Thurlow was a prominent advocate of the
treaty that will ban nuclear weapons. She has waited almost all her
life for this moment.
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.
“Every portrait has a silent voice.” -Itaru Takahara
写真とは、 声なき声。 高原至
I received the sad news that Mr. Itaru Takahara passed away on August
5th. He was 97 years old. Takahara-san survived the atomic bombing of
Nagasaki and the firebombing of Tokyo five months prior.
I
photographed Takahara-san in July 2010 when my hibakusha (atomic bomb
survivor) portraits were exhibited in Nagasaki. Takahara-san was a
famous photographer who published a book documenting the ruins of the
Urakami Cathedral. The atomic bomb detonated over Urakami which was home
to the largest cathedral in eastern Asia. The cathedral was smashed
and half of it’s steeple was tossed down a hill. Takahara-san spent
years after the war documenting children playing and services being held
in it’s ruins.
When I first met Takahara-san he asked me where
my book was. I laughed and told him that no publisher was willing to
print a book of my hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) and firebombing
survivor portraits. I jokingly told him if I ever got a book offer he
would have to write the introduction. A week later I was interviewed by
ZERO NEWS, a national television show in Japan. The next day I was
offered a book deal in Japan. Takahara-san wrote the introduction to my
book, FROM ABOVE, that still inspires me to live every moment with a
burning passion.
Takahara-san was a brilliant photographer but
was an even better person. He had an infectious laugh, a zeal for life
and the same weakness for chocolate cakes that I have. He paid
attention to every minute detail of a photograph and saw beauty in
silence. He reinforced that the importance of a photograph came from
the emotion it resonated! The feelings are all that matters.
I will miss Takahara-san but the years I knew him left a permanent smile in my soul. You’ll always be my friend.
I received the sad news that Mr. Masakatsu Obata passed away on December 12th, 2019, three days prior to his 102nd birthday. Mr. Obata was the first hibakusha, atomic bomb survivor, I ever met.
During our meeting I felt overwhelmed whilest he described his experiences on August 9th, 1945 and the days after. I had never heard such vivid descriptions of what had happened. Because it was my first conversation, I was overwhelmed. I don’t remember much and always have to look back at my notes when speaking about Mr. Obata’s testimony.
I’ve returned to Nagasaki many times since September 2008 but that was the only time we met.
When I took this portrait he was already 90 years old. I remember that he had as much energy as I did. We walked across to the park near the hypocenter and took the first portrait of what became the From Above project that has defined my career and who I am. From Above was published as a book and has so far been exhibited on three continents.
I’m grateful for Mr. Obata allowing me to begin my journey learning about the hibakusha and the horrors of nuclear war.
