| ID Code | SG-0438 |
|---|---|
| Creator | Rikuo Fukamachi |
| Age at the Time | |
| Donor | Rikuo Fukamachi |
| Date of the Scene | 1945/8/6 |
| Distance from the Hypocenter (m) | 2200 |
| Location | Ushita, Hiroshima Station areas |
| Size (H×W) (cm) | 29.7×42 |
| Description | Slipping through the Flames, I Was Able to Retrieve Only One Bag, Which Had Already Begun to Burn Painted by Rikuo Fukamachi August 6th, 1945 Approx. 2,200m from the hypocenter Ushita-machi (now, Ushita-minami) Remarks by the Painter The moment I noticed that even a couple of bags that I had thrown away into the field in front of my home caught on fire, I dashed into the house without realizing it. Slipping through the flames, I scarcely took out only one bag, which began to burn. There was my father’s bulletproof jacket in the bag. It was made for my father, who was a military instructor, by his students. Many 五銭 “go-sen” (five-sen) coins had been sewn into the jacket, with the hope that my father could survive the death-line. (死線 “shi-sen” (death-line) has the same pronunciation with 四銭 “shi-sen” (four-sen).) Inside the bag, there was also a book handed down from our ancestors. Without the protection of the coin-filled jacket, the book would have been incinerated instantly. |