How many stories could these walls tell? This is Hiroshima Kannon High School. It stands as a testament to resilience. The school has a history deeply intertwined with the tragedy and recovery of Hiroshima.
On August 6, 1945, Tomoyoshi Kawasaki, a second-year student at Hiroshima No. 2 Junior High School now Hiroshima Kannon High School, was home sick. His home was in the Koyaura district of Saka. He saw the atomic bomb detonate from 10 kilometers away.
The flash seared into his memory. A boom shook his body. He then saw the giant mushroom cloud over Hiroshima.
Many students were not so lucky. Around the end of World War II, students worked outside school. They dismantled houses to create firebreaks. This prevented fires from spreading after air raids. Adult men were soldiers. This created a labor shortage. Teens were forced to work.
On that fateful morning, about 27,000 junior high and high school students worked. They worked in building demolition or military factories. About 7,200 students died due to the atomic bomb. Students mobilized for building demolition suffered greatly. The work took place near the hypocenter. Around the former prefectural government building, over 90% of students died. Near city hall, about 80% were killed.
Monuments near Peace Memorial Park mark these losses. They stand as somber reminders. These monuments commemorate schools like Hiroshima Kannon High School.
Taeko Teramae, a student at Shintoku Girl’s High School, saw the bomb. She worked as a telephone operator 550 meters from the hypocenter. She described the bomb as looking like a chandelier.
After the bombing, Kawasaki searched for his aunt in Hiroshima. He found a city in ruins. The stench of burned bodies filled the air. He saw bodies with pink skin sores.
More than 300 first-year students from his school died. They were working near the hypocenter. Kawasaki’s classmates also perished.
After the war, schools struggled to reopen. Classes were held outdoors on the grounds of burned-out schools. Teaching materials were scarce.
Kawasaki gave up college. He supported his family. He later built a sturdy house. Despite this, a 2018 rain disaster damaged it.
Kawasaki’s experience reflects the stories of countless others. “We must avoid war at any cost,” he said. Hiroshima Kannon High School stands as a reminder of this important message. It is a place of learning, remembrance, and hope for the future.