Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1714/

Returning to Hiroshima in ruins

Well I mentioned that the first traumatic moment was the bomb itself. The second traumatic moment was when we returned to Yokogawa. I mean you could not believe. The whole community, the whole city was gone. It was flat. That area is relatively flat area, so you could see across quite a number of blocks. Only thing that remained were non-combustible items, such as concrete, sheet metal, rocks. No vegetation. Only thing[s] that’s maybe organic that still laid around were charred gruesome bodies. There was quite an effort being taken, way before we returned, where people gathered the bodies and they cremated them as quickly as possible. So the stench of cremation, the burnt body, is something that you can't forget.

Even to this day. It was... what, maybe 10 years ago, we took a trip. We’ve been on many trips throughout the world, but we went to Nepal on that day. And then one of the features was to visit a Buddhist cremation ceremony. It was supposed to take place in some remote part of Nepal near a river. And I remember thinking, “Oh that might be kind of interesting.” But as we approached that area, the smell, just the smell made me nauseated. I told Irene, I said, “I don't know if I can go there.” But I was able to watch the ceremony and I lived through it okay. But every so often, certain things will trigger the memory then I either get nauseated or maybe get choked up a little bit.


atomic bomb atomic bomb survivors hibakusha Hiroshima (city) Hiroshima Prefecture Japan trauma World War II

Date: September 3, 2019

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Masako Miki

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Howard Kakita was born in 1938 in East Los Angeles, California. His family took him to Japan in 1940. His parents and younger brother came back to the United States in 1940, to take care of the family business, but Howard and an older brother, Kenny, stayed in Japan.

When the war broke out, his family in the U.S. were incarcerated in Poston, AZ. On August 6, 1945, the Atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima. Howard was 0.8 miles from the hypocenter and survived. He and Kenny came back to the U.S. and reunited with their family in 1948.

Howard pursued a career in computer engineering. After his retirement, he joined American Society Hiroshima-Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors (ASA) and has been actively sharing his A-bomb experience. (September 2019)

Bain,Peggie Nishimura

Evacuation

(b.1909) Nisei from Washington. Incarcerated at Tule Lake and Minidoka during WWII. Resettled in Chicago after WWII

Bain,Peggie Nishimura

Conditions at Pinedale Assembly Center

(b.1909) Nisei from Washington. Incarcerated at Tule Lake and Minidoka during WWII. Resettled in Chicago after WWII

Bain,Peggie Nishimura

Making craft items from shells found at Tule Lake

(b.1909) Nisei from Washington. Incarcerated at Tule Lake and Minidoka during WWII. Resettled in Chicago after WWII

Kosaki,Richard

Working at a first aid station on Oahu after December 7

(b. 1924) Political scientist, educator, and administrator from Hawai`i

Kosaki,Richard

Under suspicion after Pearl Harbor

(b. 1924) Political scientist, educator, and administrator from Hawai`i

Kosaki,Richard

442 soldiers visiting U.S. concentration camps

(b. 1924) Political scientist, educator, and administrator from Hawai`i

Kosaki,Richard

Teaching at the military language school during World War II

(b. 1924) Political scientist, educator, and administrator from Hawai`i

Kosaki,Richard

Devastation in Tokyo after World War II

(b. 1924) Political scientist, educator, and administrator from Hawai`i

Kosaki,Richard

Change in attitudes after World War II

(b. 1924) Political scientist, educator, and administrator from Hawai`i

Shibayama,Art

Family's deportation from Peru to U.S. after the bombing of Pearl Harbor

(1930-2018) Nisei born in Peru. Taken to the United States during WWII.

Shibayama,Art

Conditions aboard U.S. transport ship while being deported from Peru

(1930-2018) Nisei born in Peru. Taken to the United States during WWII.

Kanemoto,Marion Tsutakawa

Ransacking of family home by FBI following the bombing of Pearl Harbor

(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.

Kanemoto,Marion Tsutakawa

Witnessing father's arrest through a child's eyes

(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.

Kanemoto,Marion Tsutakawa

Witnessing the atomic bombing of Hiroshima

(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.

Kanemoto,Marion Tsutakawa

Participating in military drills in school in Japan during the war

(b. 1927) Japanese American Nisei. Family voluntarily returned to Japan during WWII.