市立戸坂小学校

“Sensei, do you think they’ll rebuild the school quickly?” The childish whisper, tinged with hope, echoed the question on everyone’s mind at Hiroshima Shiritsu Hesaka Shogakko in the fall of 1945. Hiroshima Shiritsu Hesaka Shogakko, once a vibrant hub of learning, now stood as a shattered testament to the atomic bomb’s devastation. The school, originally founded in 1872, had seen many transformations. It began as a simple village school, the only one in Hesaka Village. It later became Ansho Elementary School District Public Hesaka Simplified School in 1887. Then it merged with other institutions, evolving into Hesaka Island Regular Higher Elementary School in 1909. By 1941, it was known as Hesaka National School. The atomic bomb’s impact on August 6, 1945, was catastrophic. The school, close to ground zero, suffered severe damage. Many students and teachers lost their lives. The building itself bore the scars of the blast. The roof and walls were shattered. Yet, amidst the rubble, the spirit of Hesaka Shogakko endured. It reopened in February 1946 with a mere 45 students and 4 teachers. Resources were scarce, but the desire to learn burned bright. The children, many of whom had lost everything, clung to the hope of a brighter future. Following the war, education reforms led to the school being renamed Hesaka Village Hesaka Elementary School in 1947. With Hesaka Village’s merger into Hiroshima City in 1955, the school adopted its current name: Hiroshima Shiritsu Hesaka Shogakko. Even today, the legacy of the bombing remains a part of the school’s identity.