| ++Hiroshima Before the Bombing++ |
During the Edo period (1603-1867) Hiroshima was
the principal castle town in the Chugoku-Shikoku region.
Following the Meiji Restoration of 1867 it took
on a new identity as the seat of government of Hiroshima prefecture. Hiroshima
at that time was a city of schools and shopping districts situated on a
beautiful delta filled with towering trees and surrounded by the sea, rivers
and mountains.
Gradually military facilities increased and Hiroshima
became known for its dual role-center of education and military base.
In the 1920's heavy industries began developing
in Hiroshima, and by the end of the 1930's, these were also being transformed
into factories for military production.
By the time of the A-bombing, the Hiroshima Bay
area, combined with the naval facilities in Kure, had taken on a strong
military character. |
| ++The Meiji and Taisho Period++ |
Riding the wave of modernization, Hiroshima gradually strengthened
its military and educational functions. During the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895),
the Imperial Headquarters, the command center for the war, was established
in the city, lending Ujina Harbor a distinctly military tone.
Each time Japan became involved in a military action in Asia, Hiroshima
was the base for assembly and dispatching of troops. As years went by,
Hiroshima's military facilities grew more numerous and substantial.
On the other hand, the Hiroshima Branch of the School of High Education
opened its doors in 1902. Along with other educational facilities, Hiroshima
came to be known as an academic city. |
| ++The Aioi Bridge++ |
The famous T-shaped Aioi Bridge was completed in October
1934. To make way for a new bridge, the older one forming a V shape at
the north tip of the Nakajima district, was demolished. The T-shaped bridge
is said to have been the target of the A-bomb.
Aioi Bridge before it was rebuilt in a T-shape. Courtesy of Hiroshima
Municipal Archives
|
| ++The Sino-Japanese War and Ujina Harbor++ |
Ujina Harbor located at the south of the city was completed
in 1889.
The Ujina Line, a military railway, was constructed soon after the
onset of the Sino-Japanese War. Ujina became the departure point for troops
heading off to the war in China. Later, along the Ujina Line the three
depots for Army Ordnance Supply, Army Clothing and Army Provisions were
established. The Army Transport Division, responsible for transport and
supply of army goods, was stationed in Ujina, increasing its importance
to the war effort.
Transport ships and small boats at Ujina Port used for carrying dispatched
soldiers during Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. Courtesy of Japanese
History Research Room, Faculty of Literature, .Hiroshima University
|
| ++Hiroshima in the Showa Period and During Wars++ |
In 1931, the Manchurian Incident led to the Japanese Army's engagement
in armed conflict in China.
By 1937, the incident had become a full-scale war between the two
nations. In 1941, a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor
hurtled Japan into the Pacific War (World War II), allied with the Axis
powers.
Following military orders, many Hiroshima factories shifted production
from consumer to military goods. People's lives grew increasingly austere,
and many civilians were mobilized at the front or in military factories.
Among them were thousands of Koreans and Chinese forced to work
for the Japanese. |
| ++National Mobilization of Spirit++ |
In 1937, following the outbreak of the war in China, the Konoe
administration adopted a new system that sought to mobilize the entire
Japanese nation. This concept not only reached in to control the everyday
lives of the Japanese, it also insisted on "spiritual mobilization," denying
even freedom of thought.
Citizens in Hiroshima were also forced to live austere lives under
such slogans as "Waste is the enemy," and "Doing without until victory."
As daily commodities such as food, clothing, etc. became scarce,
a rationing system started. People's lives fell on hard times, depending
on black markets or cultivating even school grounds for food production.
An air-raid shelter was built, and people were forced to exercise
evacuation drill, or a bucket relay for extinguishing fire.
Military drill had been carried out at school since the Meiji period.
In the Showa period an army man was attached to middle schools and the
other higher schools to strengthen the drill.
National mobilization poster. Courtesy of Hiroshima Municipal Archives
|
| ++Student Labor Mobilization for Military Factories++ |
Following the Sino-Japanese War, with its military-related depots,
Hiroshima gradually took on the atmosphere of a military supply base. In
1942, the Marine Headquarters (commonly known as the Akatsuki Corps) was
established in the city. To supplement ongoing labor shortages, depots
and military factories mobilized women and students as labor. It is said
that by May 1944, about one quarter of the factory workers in the prefecture
were mobilized students.
Students mobilized at the Hiroshima Army Ordnance Supply Depot.
Courtesy of Hiroshi Yano
|
| ++Forced Labor Program for Ethnic Minorities++ |
The National Mobilization Law of April 1938 led to an
outright order to mobilize all available workers in July 1939. Workers
in private corporations were forced to work in military factories, including
Koreans and other ethnic minorities. Thousands of people throughout the
prefecture were drafted to work at such locations as the electric power
plant in northern Hiroshima Prefecture and military factories in the city.
Many forced laborers survived extremely harsh working conditions only to
die in the atomic bombing.
Kobo Dam in Takano-cho, Hiba-gun, under construction by forced labor
of Koreans and others (1943). Courtesy of Miyoshi District
History Research Organization.
|
| ++Forced Demolition of Homes++ |
 In March 1943, the national government adopted the Urban Demolition Plan that
targeted 133 locations in Hiroshima for destruction. To protect against
fires resulting from air raids, residents living near such key facilities
as public offices and agencies, military facilities and military factories
were forcibly evicted from their homes. Their homes and other buildings
were demolished to create fire lanes. Students, civilians, and residents
of nearby towns and villages were mobilized for the demolition work. They
were outside, engaged in that work, on the day of the A-bombing; most were
killed or injured.
Working on demolished buildings
|
| ++Evacuating Pupils++ |
For their protection, school children were evacuated from major
cities. Hiroshima City implemented evacuation in March 1945. Two types
of evacuation were allowed. Large groups were evacuated to rural temples
and shrines, but individuals or families could also request to be taken
to the homes of friends or relatives. The homes for which these individuals
were bound suffered like the rest of Japan from acute food shortages, so
many of the young evacuees suffered great hardships.
Evacuated children visiting perents at the Noboricho National
Elementary
Evacuated children visiting perents at the Noboricho National Elementary
School Courtecy of Haruko Yokoue
|