| ID Code | 3101-0205 |
|---|---|
| Artifact Name | Blouse |
| Donor | HAGIMOTO Tomiko |
| Receiving Date | 2014/7/15 |
| Size (W×H×D) (mm) | 500×530 |
| Distance from the Hypocenter(m) | 700m |
| Number | 1 |
| Location | Tokaichi, Nakahiro areas |
| Description | Blouse Donated by Tomiko Hagimoto 700 m from the hypocenter Now Dohashi-cho Kikuyo Shimokubo (then, 23) was exposed to the atomic bomb at a company near her house where she had dropped in to use a telephone. She was trapped under steel frames and covered with glass fragments. She was pulled out by her neighbors and carried to an immobilized streetcar nearby. Receiving the news, her father Komaichi and her sister Tomiko hurried to aid Kikuyo. When they reached her, she was seriously injured: her ears were severely cut, her head was covered in blood, and her hair was stiff with congealed blood. When Kikuyo arrived at her parent's home on the morning of August 7, her mother Maki collapsed in tears to see her appearance. Her family took her to a hospital every other day on a two-wheeled cart, but she died at around 10 a.m. on August 15. This blouse was a wedding present to Kikuyo from her sister Tomiko, who was good at dressmaking. The white silk blouse was covered in blood stains, which could never be washed away. (From the account of Kikuyo's sister Tomiko) Until the day my parents died, they would often say, "We feel very sorry for Kikuyo. She would still be alive if it were not for the war.・I took very good care of this blouse, keeping it in my room. I hoped that when I died someone would put the blouse into my coffin so that I would be cremated with the blouse. However, I decided to donate the blouse to the Peace Memorial Museum because I thought that my sister's death would help convey the horror of the atomic bomb. Last night (the day before making the donation), I slept with the blouse while talking to my sister. I was very proud of my kind, beautiful sister. We never had a quarrel. |