Discover Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/en/interviews/clips/1068/

Experiences in Hiroshima after the A-bomb

Going through that, getting out the train station from Nishi, Hiroshima - it’s where we start to walking, in the heart of Hiroshima really, right by the street car track, we follow that into - past center of A-bomb and then to Hiroshima station and…there’s smoke you know coming up, not too much fire, there’s smoking coming…the people still lying in the street and also on the river, people floating and…we were…”how come, those dead people?...Why don’t they put them someplace?”

But you have to realize is, it’s only a day and a half after the bomb was dropped. And we still didn’t know that was an A-bomb, didn’t know…after we were back to our, my base company in Tadanoumi, that we were told that A-bomb is very special bomb. And then they immediately, the - lot of my friends in the army they got to Tadanoumi - went back to Hiroshima to attend all the wounded people and help on the clean up or…but, a lot of them just went over there to treat the people, now I don’t know.

I know there were a lack of medical help and everything. But all my friends did best they could, and they told me that you know, people over there asking for simple glass of water. And then they were told not to give any water to the people because that’s deadly. Well, you know, they says people grab you and they say, heitai-san – you know they says, hey soldier, please, please give me some water. And they ask you that, they have to turn around and then close their eyes and have to give them water, and they says sure enough, 3 or 4 hours later, they’ll die.

Yeah… so, you know I didn’t have that experience with me but knowing what the A-bomb did to the city, and afterwards we read about it and then…but looking at city – and all flat and then thousands and thousands people that died…yeah it’s too much hell and then we thought, hey this A-bomb should never been used again, I’m firm believer, I do believe, firmly believe that shouldn’t be used again, yes


Date: June 17, 2008

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Janice Tanaka

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

Interviewee Bio

Henry Eiichi Suto was born on February 5, 1928 in Minot, North Dakota to Issei parents. After the death of his father and younger sister, his mother returned to Japan with Henry and his brother. Henry was 7 years old and since he knew little Japanese, he worked hard to learn and try to fit in with his classmates. When he was approached by his teacher to sign up for the Japanese Army at the age of 17, he accepted—knowing he wouldn’t be able to afford to go to college. After basic training, he was 1 of 34 selected to train under a special unit, which he later found out was a “suicide” unit to man a one-man torpedo boat. He was in this unit when Hiroshima was bombed and was one of the first soldiers to arrive with aid, thirty-six hours after the bombing.

When the war ended, he returned to the United States and lived with an uncle after his mother passed away. He enrolled in Belmont High School, but 3 months later was drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in the Korean War. He was trained to become an interpreter and was taught the Korean language at Camp Palmer. He was to go to the front lines in Korea to interrogate, but while on their stopover in Japan, he was asked to stay to serve as an interpreter there instead.

He returned to the U.S. after being discharged from the army and went to Los Angeles City College where he majored in foreign trade. He found a job at the Otagiri Company and worked there till his retirement in 1993.

He passed away on October 17, 2008 at the age of 80. (January 30, 2009)

Matsumoto,Roy H.

Kibei schoolchildren in Hiroshima, Japan

(b.1913) Kibei from California who served in the MIS with Merrill’s Marauders during WWII.

Matsumoto,Roy H.

Difficulties understanding different Japanese dialects

(b.1913) Kibei from California who served in the MIS with Merrill’s Marauders during WWII.

Kanemoto,Marion Tsutakawa

Witnessing the atomic bombing of Hiroshima

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

Mori,Johnny

Decision between becoming a minister or musician

(b. 1949) Musician and arts educator and adminstrator.

Mori,Johnny

Performing in the first Asian American play, "The Monkey Play"

(b. 1949) Musician and arts educator and adminstrator.

Mori,Johnny

Performing the koto and taiko drum together, in Japan

(b. 1949) Musician and arts educator and adminstrator.

Mori,Johnny

Taiko considered "Jazz" in the Philippines

(b. 1949) Musician and arts educator and adminstrator.

Yuki,Tom

Felt no hostility in Los Gatos, California after the war

(b. 1935) Sansei businessman.

Kakita,Howard

His Memory of August 6, 1945

(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor

Kakita,Howard

Immediately after the bombing

(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor

Kakita,Howard

Escape from Hiroshima

(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor

Kakita,Howard

Other family members not as lucky

(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor

Kakita,Howard

Returning to Hiroshima in ruins

(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor

Kakita,Howard

His parents had little hope that he had survived the atomic bomb

(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor

Kakita,Howard

Reuniting with parents in America

(b. 1938) Japanese American. Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor