| ID Code | SG-0416 |
|---|---|
| Creator | KIRIAKE Chieko |
| Age at the Time | 15 |
| Donor | Motohisa IMAISHI |
| Date of the Scene | August 1945 |
| Distance from the Hypocenter (m) | 3350 |
| Location | Minami, Ujina areas |
| Size (H×W) (cm) | 21×29.6 |
| Description | The day my friends were cremated in the schoolyard Drawn by Chieko Kiriake Donated by Motohisa Imaishi August 1945 Approx. 3,350m from the hypocenter Ujina-machi (now, Ujina-higashi 1-chome) Notes from the artist: The corpses of her classmates and the younger students were gathered in the schoolyard, covered in thick black oil, and then cremated. The surviving students looked at the corpses enveloped in the roaring flames which rose higher. Her teacher told them not to look, but the trembling students were spellbound with their eyes involuntarily returning to a sight they had no desire to see. Once the flames had died down and they could see the skeletons like science class models, it was as if the spell had been broken. That was when they started to cry. As they cried, they all started to pick up the bones. Mothers and fathers, reassuring themselves that their children died for the country, wailed at the sight of their unrecognizable children. Understanding their pain all too well, Chieko's heart was breaking. (From On August 6th We were Teenagers [2003]) |