Interviews
His Memory of August 6, 1945
It was Monday morning, a bright sunny day, probably a beautiful day as I recall. And we got ready for school. In Japan, there was no summer vacation in those days. We had school in August. So my brother Kenny and I, we got dressed and started towards school when we saw quite a number of kids coming back from school, towards us, and they told us that there has been enemy aircraft warningin the neighborhood—vicinity of Hiroshima. So the school was canceled that day. Happily, we ran home, changed into our play clothes and just about that time was about eight o’clock in the morning or maybe thereafter, and then the air raid siren sounded again.
Kenny and I, when we heard the siren, we climbed up onto the roof of our house, watching the vapor trail in the distance coming over. The B-29 always had nice, beautiful vapor trail[s]. And it was such a clear day you could see it clearly. During that time my grandmother came out of the kitchen extremely mad, and she told us to get off the roof. So we grudgingly came off the roof.
Then my brother Kenny went towards the front, [where there] was a side gate, like a mon. And he went through there. My grandmother, seeing that we came off the roof, went back to the kitchen and presumably she continued doing the dishes. I myself went into a separate structure which we had next to the kitchen or next to the house that housed the bath house, ofuro. And I went underneath that structure when the bomb exploded. Exploded or detonated.
Now in the outskirts of Japan, people will say that there was a huge flash, and then several seconds later there would be a huge boom and cloud of dust coming towards them at tremendous speed. Well I was only three quarter or one kilometer from ground zero*, which is 3300 feet, which is relatively close. The flash and the boom were probably less than a second apart.
*Note: Howard was actually 1.3 kilometer (about 4300 feet) from ground zero.
Date: September 3, 2019
Location: California, US
Interviewer: Masako Miki
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Explore More Videos
Meeting Hamako in Japan
(1916 - 2013) Member of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service
Meeting Mr. Amano
(1916 - 2013) Member of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service
Marriage and Returning to US
(1916 - 2013) Member of the U.S. Military Intelligence Service
Feeling prejudice while looking for jobs
(1919 - 2015) Nisei who served in World War II with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
Generosity of the Italians
(1919 - 2015) Nisei who served in World War II with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
Invited to teach at Harvard by his boss
(1919 - 2015) Nisei who served in World War II with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team
The riot in Manzanar
(b. 1921) Nisei veteran who served in the occupation of Japan
The Dopey bank that survived the war
(b. 1934) Award-winning Disney animation artist who was incarcerated at Topaz during WWII
Evacuated to the Jungle
(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.
Captured by Guerillas after bombing of Pearl Harbor
(b. 1938) Philipines-born hikiagesha who later migrated to the United States.
Grandfather picked up by US Army
(b. 1952) Former banking executive, born in Hawaii
Father's business partner operated their farming business during WWII
(b. 1935) Sansei businessman.
Father was convinced the constitution would protect him
(b. 1935) Sansei businessman.
The lack of discussion about family’s incarceration in Amache
Sansei judge for the Superior Court of Los Angeles County in California