| ID Code | 3103-0011 |
|---|---|
| Artifact Name | Dress |
| Donor | Toshiko Fujisawa |
| Receiving Date | 2001/06/18 |
| Size (W×H×D) (mm) | 910×660 |
| Distance from the Hypocenter(m) | 750 |
| Number | 1 |
| Location | Kokutaiji, Senda areas |
| Description | The dress Setsuko had on when she was A-bombed Donated by Toshiko Fijisawa Exposed to the bomb at Shinsenba-cho (now, Ko-machi), 750m from the hypocenter Setsuko Fujisawa (then,23) was at work when the atomic bomb flashed. She was buried under the collapsed office building but managed to get out despite serious injury. She took shelter in a relative's house in the suburbs. Three days later, she was reunited with her mother, Kotake, who had come looking for her. With her parents and younger brother and sister, Setsuko went to stay with their relatives in Miyoshi, northwest of Hiroshima City. There, due to radiation, her condition got worse. Her lips became enormously swollen, and they could hardly touch her body as she burned with fever. Her hair started falling out. She hemorrhaged from her nose and bowels, and vomited blood. She died on August 18. She said "goodbye" to each of us and then passed away… Toshiko Fujisawa (then,20), Setsuko's younger sister, relates: "My sister had a slightly tanned complexion and a well-proportioned figure. She was healthy and never got sick. When she was A-bombed, she was wearing this dress. She had made this dress by herself by undoing and re-dyeing a haori – a short coat for a formal kimono. She looked great in it. My sister was tough. Although she was seriously injured, she never complained about the pain. Since her lips were swollen, she had to look in the mirror to bring the spoon to her mouth, but she insisted on eating every meal by herself. When family members and relatives gathered around her to moisten her lips, each person holding a drop of water, she probably knew that it was time. She said, 'Bring me water. Quick, quick. Please hurry…' She then said 'goodbye' to each of us and passed away. She was tough until the very end. Young people today enjoy much peace and freedom. I would like them to remember that there had been many victims like my sister before the peace they enjoy now. I want them to use our knowledge of past history as a foundation upon which to build a peaceful world." |