| ID Code | 7205-0032 |
|---|---|
| Artifact Name | A Shard of Glass Removed from Inside a Body |
| Donor | SHINTAKU Misao |
| Receiving Date | 2015/08/05 |
| Size (W×H×D) (mm) | |
| Distance from the Hypocenter(m) | 1300 |
| Number | |
| Location | Moto-machi, Hakushima areas |
| Description | A Shard of Glass Removed from Inside a Body Donated by Misao Shintaku Approx. 1,300m from the hypocenter Nishi-hakushima-cho Ms. Misao Shintaku (maiden name: Oguchi, then, 14), a third-year student of Yasuda Girl’s High School at that time, was exposed to the A-bombing when she was in the school building. Caught under the collapsed building, she could not move. Although she managed to escape, she had suffered injuries and her clothes were in tatters. Told to run for cover, she escaped barefooted desperately to Hesaka Elementary School, where she received only the simplest treatment. Although they gave her a rice ball there, she could not eat it because of the severe injuries to her mouth. She tried to return to her home in Kan-on-machi, but there was a sea of flames. She decided to cross a mountain to go to the home of her father’s parents. Climbing the mountain with all her streangth, she arrived at the Koi Pass, where she met her parents waiting for her with concern. Probably because she was so relieved to see her parents after making such an effort to return to them, she could no longer stand on her feet. This shard of glass was removed from inside her body 10 years after the atomic bombing. To remove the shard of glass, she had her cheekbone resected at a hospital. It has been preserved with considerable care to this day as a part of Misao herself. Remarks by Ms. Misao Shintaku My grandmother was exposed to the A-bombing when she was weeding next to a pumpkin field outside her home. She died on August 16th. My father, who died in September 1946, had been in a bad condition even though he had no serious external injuries. Shards of Glass remained in my arms and shoulders. As time passed, those sticking in soft parts of my body rose toward the surface. My husband removed some of them, however, I could not hold our little children on my thighs, as I felt such intense pain when they wriggled on my thighs. I hope that we will never forget that the peace that we enjoy today rests on the sacrifices of many people. |