By MIKEY HIRANO CULROSS
Rafu Staff Writer
Although it was 81 years ago, Junji Sarashina still has clear, vivid recollections of people crossing a bridge out of the Hiroshima city center, attempting to flee the hellish aftermath of the atomic bombing.
“There were thousands of people walking across the bridge, slowly, quietly. Many of them had no hair, no face, no clothes,” he recalled.
Sarashina, now 97, shared his memories of Aug. 6, 1945 during a memorial service held Sunday at Koyasan Beikoku Betsuin in Little Tokyo. The annual event pays tribute to the victims of the U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima and three days later in Nagasaki – the vast majority of whom were civilians.
It is estimated that more than 240,000 perished by the end of 1945, both from the initial blasts as well as the lingering effects. Thousands have died or suffered lifelong illness in the decades since, as a result of exposure to the radiation released by the bombs.
Born in Hawaii, Sarashina and his family relocated to Japan before the war, to take over the family’s Buddhist temple in the Nakajima District of Hiroshima.
Like many teenagers, he was forced to work in a bomb factory for the Japanese military as the war with the U.S. dragged on.
While the sight of American bombers flying overheard was not a terribly unusual sight, he said he remembered being surprised by the sight of a bright orange sky on the morning of Aug. 6, then feeling himself being flipped over several times in the blast.
“I never heard any explosion. I think I was saved because I was standing right next to a concrete wall. I was scratched all over, but I was still alive.”
Sunday’s memorial included video recorded messages from current mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
“With our current international situation, the risk of nuclear weapons use is on the rise, with nuclear weapons states modernizing and bolstering their nuclear arsenals,” warned Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui. “It is now more important than ever that we encourage policymakers to turn to diplomatic policies for peaceful resolution through dialogue, without relying on nuclear deterrence.”
Mayor Shiro Suzuki of Nagasaki said the day is fast approaching that the last of the hibakusha – atomic bomb survivors – will be gone, and stressed the importance of subsequent generations to carry on their message of peace.
“The hibakusha who experienced the terror of the atomic bombing first-hand have continued to share their painful experiences and advocate for the abolition of nuclear weapons, resolved to never let anyone else in the world experience the same tragedy.”
Bishop Sunga Kiryu, director of international affairs at Koyasan Headquarters in Japan, has been serving as the interim shukan (head minister) of Koyasan in Los Angeles. He sent a memorial message from across the Pacific, echoing the imperative need to choose paths away from weapons and war.
“It is our vital responsibility today to ensure these memories do not fade into the past, but instead stand as a living legacy for the future,” Kiryu wrote. “Peace is not something maintained by wishing alone; it is preserved through each of us learning from history and dedicating ourselves to mutual understanding through dialogue.
“I pray from the bottom of my heart for the peaceful repose of all the victims of the atomic bombings, and for lasting peace and solace to comfort their families and all survivors.”
Sarashina has spent decades talking about his experiences, making it his mission to share the lessons of the war, and has served as president of the American Society of Hiroshima-Nagasaki A-Bomb Survivors (ASA). Last year, he traveled to Japan as an invited guest at the 80th-anniversary observance of the bombing of Hiroshima, accompanied by his son and granddaughter.
“Hearing the ring of the gong and the silence that followed, it was like an eternity,” said Emily Sarashina of the observance at 8:15 a.m., the time of the blast in 1945. ”It was sadness, it was grief, but it also felt like a lot of hope, because survivors from all over the the world were there, from Japan, Korea, Brazil and the United States, all there to tell their stories.”
Also making the trip last year with the Sarashinas was local photographer and journalist Darrell Miho, who repeated the insistence that the concept of nuclear deterrence is a fallacy.
“We need the next generations to be the peace advocates. The hibakusha will not always be with us,” Miho said.
Miho, known for his portraits of hibakusha, co-chaired the ceremony on behalf of ASA with Dr. Gloria Montebruno-Saller, who also spoke.
Participants in the religious portion of the program included Rev. Taiso Matsumoto, officiant; Regina Sakurai, chairperson; Chikyo Paris, Eijun Vuong, Emyo Kinney and Yusen Nakagawara, ministers; Yudo McQuillin, assistant.
Candlelight offerings were made in front of the Hiroshima Peace Flame by Tateo Ohashi, Consulate General of Japan; Susan Yoshikawa, Hiroshima Kenjinkai; Shuto Habu, L.A. Nagasaki Kai; Mio Suzuki and Farida Fotouhi, Little Tokyo Rotary Club; Howard Kakita, ASA; Chikyo Paris, Koyasan Beikoku Betsuin. The flame was brought from Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park in 1984 and has been housed at Koyasan ever since.
Kakita, a Hiroshima survivor who was the featured speaker last year, closed the program by warning that the nuclear stockpiles of the U.S., Russia, China and other countries could lead to destruction far exceeding what he witnessed as a child.
– Rafu staff writer J.K. Yamamoto contributed to this report.
