Noboricho Elementary School

Was it the scent of sweet potatoes that filled the air at Noboricho Elementary School or the dust of debris? It’s hard to imagine now, looking at this modern building. But in the spring of 1946, Noboricho Elementary School was a different world. This wasn’t the Noboricho Elementary you see today. It was its predecessor, Noboricho National School, struggling to rise from the ashes of the atomic bombing. Classes were held outside, in the schoolyard. Children like Kengo Kurata, a second-grader at the time, sat on coal or tangerine boxes for desks. There were no textbooks, no notebooks, no blackboards. Just the open sky, the debris-filled schoolyard, and the determination to learn. Noboricho Elementary School, or rather, the school that stood here then, represents the resilience of Hiroshima. Mr. Kurata’s own story reflects this resilience. His family’s hardware store in downtown Hiroshima was destroyed. His older brother and sister were killed in the bombing. Yet, he returned to the city with his surviving family. They built a shack and embraced the difficult path to recovery. The school itself became a symbol of this recovery. Initially, classes were held in borrowed spaces: rooms at the Hiroshima Central Broadcasting building and the Hiroshima Central Telephone Exchange. But eventually, they returned to the school grounds. The students, even the younger ones, helped clear the debris. They plowed the school grounds and planted sweet potatoes to supplement their meager rations. Dumplings made from dried horseweed and flour were a common, if unappetizing, meal. Noboricho Elementary School was not just a place of learning. It was a testament to the community’s will to survive. In 1947, with the new School Education Act, the school officially became Noboricho Elementary School. Open-air classrooms with reed screen ceilings continued for a while. But thanks to the fundraising efforts of parents, a new two-story building with 28 classrooms was completed in 1949. Mr. Kurata, now a fifth-grader, finally experienced a proper classroom. He remembers a school trip to Kosan-ji Temple and the pride of his graduating class of 184 students. The story of Noboricho Elementary School is a story of loss, resilience, and the power of community. It reminds us that even in the face of unimaginable devastation, the human spirit can endure, rebuild, and create a better future.