In 1932, a school was established in Danbarayamasaki-cho, Hiroshima. It was christened Hiroshima City First Advanced Elementary School. This, my friends, is the predecessor of the very 市立段原中学校 we stand before today. Originally located about 600 meters north of here, the school’s purpose was to provide two additional years of education for students who had completed six years at a national primary school. As the winds of war began to blow stronger, the school’s name changed in 1941. Reflecting the militaristic shift in Japanese society, it became The First National School, enforcing a military-edged curriculum. The school stood about 2.6 kilometers from the hypocenter of the atomic bomb blast. The wooden north school building was obliterated. The auditorium, east, and west buildings were severely damaged, windows shattered, frames twisted. Ironically, in the devastating aftermath, the remaining structures of the east building and auditorium became makeshift relief stations, providing refuge amidst the ruins. On that fateful day, most of the school’s 650 students were thankfully away, mobilized for war work. A smaller group, around 150 students, were working in Showamachi, present-day Naka Ward, dismantling buildings to create a fire lane. Tragically, an estimated 50 of these young lives were lost in the bombing. After the war, the resilient city of Hiroshima began to rebuild. The remaining single-story ferroconcrete east school building of the First National School was given a second floor. It served the community for many years, notably as a space for industrial arts education. This continued until April 2011 when Danbara Junior High School was relocated to its current location, carrying forward the legacy of education on this historic ground. So, as you look at the modern 市立段原中学校, remember the echoes of its past, from its beginnings as an advanced elementary school, its wartime transformation, to its role in the city’s recovery.
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