August 13, 2025
TOKYO – In an effort to pass down the experiences of people who lived through atomic bombings and air raids during World War II, as well as those survivors’ thoughts on peace, to future generations, the city of Kunitachi, in western Tokyo, continues to hold public lectures, part of a project which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
In the lectures, the experiences of hibakusha atomic bomb survivors and others are shared by storytellers on their behalf. The city has already organized more than 100 of these events, and with those who lived through the war rapidly dying out, the storytellers stress the importance of passing down their wartime experiences to future generations.
Scenes from an atomic bombing
“Their skin was burned and hanging off their body. Some liquid was dripping from it,” said Yutaka Magofuku of Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, in a lecture at a public facility in the city in late July.
Magofuku, 78, spoke to about 30 participants about the scene witnessed by Shigeyuki Katsura immediately after the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945. Katsura was about 2.5 kilometers south-southeast of the hypocenter when he felt the explosion.
Shigeyuki Katsura speaks about his experience being exposed to radiation in Nagasaki in this file photo taken in August 2013. PHOTO: THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN
At that time, Katsura was 14 years old. He was on his way to deliver products from a factory set up at the junior high school he attended. Suddenly, he was blinded by a bright light like a camera flash. A powerful shockwave sent him flying, and he lost consciousness. He came to his senses after a while and set off for home down the debris-strewn road. Along the way, he saw a person who had died with the upper half of their body submerged in a water tank. He also heard cries for help coming from inside a collapsed building.
Raising storytellers
In 2015, which marked the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, the Kunitachi municipal government, in collaboration with Katsura and other survivors living in the city, launched a project to train people to pass on the stories of people who experienced the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
Katsura told The Yomiuri Shimbun at that time: “We are very grateful for this opportunity to pass on our unparalleled, devastating experiences. We would like to do our best to fulfill this important responsibility during the time left to us.” He died in 2017 at the age of 86.
Magofuku, who at the time was working in the administrative offices of a university, saw an advertisement seeking storytellers. He decided to apply, feeling that the suffering people went through during the war must not be forgotten. He frequently visited Katsura’s home to listen to his experiences. He says Katsura emphasized that he should convey the truth as it was, without distorting it. After 15 months of training, including learning recitation techniques, Magofuku began giving lectures in 2016. He now speaks about five times a year.
Magofuku said he tries very hard to faithfully convey what Katsura saw in the city immediately after the bombing and his experiences with atomic bomb sickness. “Mr. Katsura wanted to convey the horror of war and the preciousness of peace, especially to the younger generation,” Magofuku said. “It is vital that we learn what the war that ended 80 years ago was like for Japan.”
Toko Abe, a first-year student at Tokyo Junshin Girls’ Senior High School in Hachioji, Tokyo, was among those who listened to a recent lecture by Magofuku.
“Just from listening to the story, I was able to imagine the terrifying scenes Mr. Katsura witnessed. The story made me strongly feel that I would like to see the remnants from the atomic bombing with my own eyes and reflect on peace.”
In 2017 Kunitachi also began efforts to pass on the experiences of survivors of the Tokyo air raids. Now, 21 storytellers are working to share wartime experiences. The city regularly holds lectures and dispatches storytellers to schools.
Regular lectures are scheduled for Friday and Aug. 22 in the city.
AloJapan.com