Three books to read about war in August
This August marks the month when atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
August 15th is the day the war ended, and the day of defeat.
This time, I have chosen three books that record the lives of people who lived through a period significantly changed by war.
They don't just depict war itself.
They portray what was left behind, families who lived through the postwar period, and cities gradually returning to normalcy.
By looking at war not just as a grand historical event, but as the personal time of each individual who lived through it, I believe we can begin to see what connects us to the present.
『Asahi Camera Special Issue 9 HIROSHIMA』 Hiromi Tsuchida
This book is composed of three parts: "Hiroshima Collection," "Hiroshima 1945-1979," and "Hiroshima Monument," documenting Hiromi Tsuchida's long-standing work on "Hiroshima."
The "Hiroshima Collection" features clothing, lunchboxes, and daily necessities preserved at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
While these are now referred to as "atomic bomb artifacts," they were originally someone's clothes, someone's lunchbox.
Each item surely held the presence of a person and their life.
"Hiroshima 1945-1979" revisits people who contributed essays to the atomic bomb survivors' accounts in 'Children of the Atomic Bomb,' while "Hiroshima Monument" traces traces that remain in present-day Hiroshima, such as street trees, bridges, and buildings.
Present-day Hiroshima has daily life; people live there.
Even if the city changes and past events become less visible on the surface, what happened there does not disappear.
Objects, people, and the city.
This photo collection looks at the time that has continued since August 6, 1945, through these different lenses.
『Imokko Yo-chan no Issho (The Life of Yo-chan, the Sweet Potato Kid)』 Koyo Kageyama
This is a photo collection by Koyo Kageyama, featuring his third son, Yoshiko, or Yo-chan, whom he photographed continuously.
Yo-chan was born in 1946.
The year after the war ended.
He was a child who loved eating sweet potatoes, saying, "I'm a sweet potato kid."
The photographs capture his family around the dinner table, him absorbed in play, and moments spent in his sickbed.
Then, in 1951, Yo-chan passed away at the age of five from tuberculous meningitis.
The war ended in 1945.
However, people's lives did not return to normal immediately after that day.
Post-war food shortages, poverty, and illness. In an era where adequate medical care and welfare were not widely available, many children tragically lost their lives at a young age.
Nevertheless, what strongly resonates when looking at this book is not just the tragedy of the era.
It's the gaze of a father looking at his child.
Eating sweet potatoes. Playing. Spending time with family.
No matter the era, there were ordinary times filled with affection for someone.
This is a very personal photo collection, documenting the short life of one boy, Yo-chan.
Precisely for this reason, it makes one think about the countless families and children who were there beyond him.
『HIROSHIMA 1965』 Kenji Ishiguro
1965.
A work by Kenji Ishiguro, who photographed Hiroshima 20 years after the atomic bombing.
Within those 20 years, the city had recovered, and people's lives had returned to normal.
Ishiguro's camera was not focused on directly showing the devastation of the atomic bomb.
He captured foreign visitors to the Atomic Bomb Dome, which had become a tourist attraction, street corners, and people's daily lives.
At first glance, it appears to be a very ordinary urban landscape.
However, Ishiguro felt an undefinable sense of unease in the city.
He called it "burnt air."
Even if the city returns to normalcy, the past does not disappear.
Something remains in that land, even if it's invisible.
Looking at 'HIROSHIMA 1965,' one contemplates such things.
It's a photo collection that, by not directly photographing the war but rather the daily life that followed, ironically makes the presence of the past felt even more strongly.
When these three books are viewed together, each one observes a different period of time.
Hiromi Tsuchida traces the memory of Hiroshima through remnants, people, and urban traces.
Koyo Kageyama preserves the time of a child born the year after the defeat and his family.
Kenji Ishiguro captures the invisible presence remaining in Hiroshima 20 years later, after it had returned to normalcy.
When contemplating war, I believe that the history and memories perceived differ depending on the country and perspective.
Nevertheless, it remains true that within that grand flow, each individual had their own life.
I believe that learning about war through books is not for the purpose of hating anyone, but also to prevent the same things from happening again.
The word "peace" feels vague and distant.
However, valuing the people in front of us, and empathizing with the pain of those living in different places, feels like something we can start doing from a closer place.
Regardless of country or language, the human emotion of caring for someone should not be so different.
Looking to the past, I hope that in the future, people can live side by side with love, not hatred.
With such thoughts, I selected these three books on August 15th.
Peace and love.