The Last Tomato - Hiroshima Told in His Own Words (by Dango)

　
Mr. Shigenori Takemoto strongly thinks that "his atomic bomb experience in Hiroshima" must be handed down from generation to generation with his own words. He published the memoir on Aug 6 in 1997, and continues his lectures.

The subtitle of the memoir is--"that day" which must be handed down to Japanese mothers and Japanese children--.
I listend to his lecture and read his memoir and appreciated him very much.

I asked him to write them to "The Mellow Denshoukan". He was moved very much deeply to hear it. I got his permission and write this memoir in his substitution.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　Dango posts this in his substitution 　　　　

Prologue

8:15 a.m. 17 seconds on August 6, in 1945 --

By dropping of only one atomic bomb, the town of Hiroshima turned into ruins in an instant. At that time, I were in the thicket of the west side of the building of the Hiroshima city office which located 1km far from the center of the explosion. After the terrible light and noise, "flash and boom", the surroundings became dark as pitch in a moment.

Although many men have been writing or telling about Hiroshima until now, it is not known unexpectedly that the bottom of that "mushroom cloud" becomes so pitch-dark that the point where they are cannot be recognized.

I ran about trying to escape from the inside of the pitch-black darkness for many hours. On the way I saw numerous dead persons and seriously burnt people.

The groan under rubble was also heard. Also now, their voices sometimes revive in the inner part of my ear still now. There are many records on Hiroshima as are well known. However, it cannot be said that all were told in them.

I think that I have to talk further more. It is because I have thought that I have to tell my Hiroshima in my own "words", that is to say by my own "heart". This is a talk cencerning on my real experience on the August 6th.

(To be continued)