| ID Code | 3404-0007 |
|---|---|
| Artifact Name | Furoshiki (wrapping cloth) |
| Donor | Eiko Kawamuki |
| Receiving Date | 2002/07/11 |
| Size (W×H×D) (mm) | 460×460 |
| Distance from the Hypocenter(m) | 900 |
| Number | 1 |
| Location | Tokaichi, Nakahiro areas |
| Description | Shoes, wrapping cloth Donated by Eiko Kawamuki 900m from the hypocenter Koami-cho Setsuko Ota (then, 12), a first-year student at a girl's school, was engaged in building demolition work* when she experienced the atomic bombing. Her mother, Yoshimi (then, 40) immediately went to look for her. Setsuko was lying with her classmates on a river bank near her workplace. Burned black, her mother knew it was her because of the name tag on her underwear. While her mother looked for the water she wanted, Setsuko died. Yoshimi and the other parents cremated the bodies of their children themselves and carried the ashes home. These things are what Setsuko had with her on that day. *Building demolition work: Pulling down houses to create a fire line. On the day of the bombing, many junior high school students were engaged in this kind of work. I looked everywhere for her and heard that members of Aki Girl's High School were at the bottom of the riverbed, so I headed there. There, the miserable figures of our children with their blackened faces were lined on the ground. I looked for her, calling out her name. I caught a glimpse of a chemise which had been bought in Davao in the Philippines and was quite rare in Japan. Looking carefully, I could see the name Ota was written on it. I spoke to the child and she responded by calling me mother. Setsuko asked me for water, and soon all of the children who were still breathing began to beg for water. So, I told Setsuko that I'd fetch some water as quickly as I could and went to find some. It was very hard to find water and I ran around desperately looking for some. When I had finally found water and returned, they were all dead. I moistened everyone's lips with the water while apologizing. From Yoshimi's account |