On August 6, 1945, first-year students of First Hiroshima Prefectural Girls High School had been mobilized for building demolition works* near Dohashi, approximately 800 meters from the hypocenter.
* Works to remove buildings in designated areas of the city in order to create firebreaks in preparation for air-raids. On August 6, the special district guard corps, volunteer citizen corps, and mobilized students were engaged in building demolition works from early in the morning.
In this section, the last diary logs kept by three first-year students of First Hiroshima Prefectural Girls High School on the day before the bombing are presented.
Last log (1945-08-05/1945-08-05)Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
(Summary from her father’s memoir)
“She left home and said goodbye, wearing her monpe trousers and straw hat with her shoulder bag.
… I waited for her but she hadn’t returned home. ... I searched for her everywhere in vain. ... “Etsuko-chan is here.”...However, she was in a miserable state, having gone blind and her whole body swelled up. On the morning of the 7th, the next day, a mysterious phenomenon suddenly happened. Etsuko’s blinded eyes opened!...“Can you see dad?” “I can.” After she had a mixed expression between happy and sad, her condition took a sudden turn for the worse. Then she finally departed from this life ”
Last log (1945-08-05/1945-08-05)Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Mutsuko Ishizaki (then, 12) was exposed to the bomb at her building demolition work site and went missing. Although her father Shuichi (then, 42) searched for her in every area day after day, he could not find her anywhere.
Last log (1945-08-05/1945-08-05)Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
School uniform found in the burnt-out ruins (1945-08-20/1945-08-20)Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Last log (1945-08-05/1945-08-05)Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Last log (1945-08-05/1945-08-05)Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Illustration, one of her mementos, left at home (1945/1945)Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
(Summary from her mother’s memoir)
“On the morning on August 6,...when Tomiko left home as usual with her emergency pack and hoe, wearing her school uniform.
…After the atomic bomb was dropped, despite my husband's search for Tomiko here and there that day and on the morning on the 7th, she was still missing. On the morning on the 8th, seeing a message on the message board of First Hiroshima Prefectural Girls High School, he learned that Tomiko had escaped in the direction of Koi. But when he rushed to find her, he was told that Tomiko had already breathed her last in the morning when it was still dusky. According to my husband, she was wearing her senior’s yukata.”
“Things to keep in mind when entering data in the diary” (1945/1945)Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Building demolition works (1945/1945) by Drawn by Yoshio Hamada Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum collectionHiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Junior high school students who annihilated during building demolition works (1945-08-09/1945-08-09) by Drawn by Hidehiko Okazaki Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum collectionHiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Donated by Takatoshi Kumamoto, Noriko Ueda, Shuichi Ishizaki, Michiko Umekita, Shuichi Ishizaki
Drawn by Yoshio Hamada, Hidehiko Okazaki
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