Items of an A-bomb victim who died the day he enlisted to be displayed
The personal belongings of a man who died at age 26 in the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima on the same day he joined the now-defunct Imperial Japanese military will be displayed at a relative's home from Tuesday.
Michiko Takagaki, 79, decided to display the belongings of Takayoshi Tatara as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. "We have a responsibility as people who have survived until today," Takagaki said. "I had to do something."
At 8 a.m. on Aug. 6, 1945, Tatara enlisted in a regional artillery replacement unit based in the city. Just 15 minutes later, an atomic bomb was dropped some 700 meters away.
Tatara went missing in the aftermath of the bombing, but it was learned after the end of the war that he had temporarily sought refuge with severe burns from head to toe. His personal items were delivered to his relatives via the local government.
Tatara's wife, 1-year-old daughter, father and older brother, who all had gathered to see him off, are believed to have been killed in the atomic bombing. None of their remains have been found, despite numerous search efforts by relatives.
Takagaki, whose late husband, Tomomitsu, was a nephew of Tatara, will showcase Tatara's personal items for the first time at her home in the city of Fuchu, Hiroshima Prefecture, until May 18.
The 40 or so items, which include a wristwatch and a notebook that Tatara is believed to have carried at the time, as well as a public notice calling him to the military, will then be donated mainly to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
Takagaki had heard stories about Tatara from her late husband, but she was reluctant to share them with others.
"It's not something that I can talk about easily," she said.
But as she grew older, Takagaki decided to put Tatara's items on display while she still had the chance.
"I wonder what things would've been like if (Tatara) had enlisted a day later," she said. "I hope people pick up his personal items and think about a life that was taken too early."
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