On August 6th, 1945, twenty-year-old Mr. Fukuda experienced the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. He was working at the Akatsuki troop in Ujina, 4.5km from the hypocenter. Fukuda had just finished roll call and morning exercises when the bomb detonated. He miraculously escaped serious injury. Fukuda immediately joined the relief effort, transporting burned victims from Ujina Sea Port to Ninoshima Island. They ferried around 1,000 people, mostly junior high students, each day. Years later, in 1987, Fukuda wrote about a struggling A-bombed hackberry tree for Asahi Newspaper’s reader column. This contribution inspired Gennnosuke Nagasaki to write a picture book about the tree. The book brought the Fukuda hackberry to national attention. Now living in South Hiroshima, Fukuda sees the hackberry as a symbol of the young lives lost in the bombing. He feels a responsibility to protect the tree and share its story, ensuring their dreams and memories live on. Fukuda has even cultivated hackberry saplings and created a monument. He is determined to pass this legacy to future generations. He wants to ensure that the Fukuda hackberry remains a powerful reminder of the bombing’s devastating impact and the resilience of life.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to