Atomic Bomb Survivor Revealed Scars When Still Considered Taboo; Kikkawa’s Activities Led to Formation of Nihon Hidankyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

18:21 JST, December 3, 2024

Nihon Hidankyo, or the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organizations, is set to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Dec.10. With the organization winning the award, it has created an opportunity to shed light on the steps taken by its predecessors.

At a time when it was taboo to speak about the atomic bombing, there was a man who exposed his keloids as a way to share his experience, leading to the atomic bomb survivors’ movement.

Kiyoshi Kikkawa, who died in 1986 at the age of 74, was known as “A-bomb victim No. 1,” and his activities served as the foundation for the formation of the organizations.

Kikkawa was at his home, about 1.5 kilometers from the hypocenter, when the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima. He was returning home after working the night shift and was about to enter his house when he was hit by the heat, which burned his back and arms, resulting in the formation of keloids.

He underwent 16 skin graft surgeries in five years. In April 1947, a member of the U.S. inspection team that visited the hospital where Kikkawa was a patient made a comment and referred to him as “A-bomb victim No. 1.” When it was reported in Japanese media, it was translated as “Genbaku ichigo.”

Kikkawa and his wife, Ikimi, who died in 2013 at the age of 92, opened the “Genbaku Ichigo no Mise (A-bomb victim No.1 shop),” located near the Atomic Bomb Dome, around spring 1951. He would remove his shirt in front of foreign visitors who came to the shop and had them take photographs of him, showing his keloids. He also talked about his atomic bombing experience with elementary school students on school excursions.

During that time, many atomic bomb survivors were reluctant to speak out for fear of being discriminated against. Although he was harshly criticized by those around him, who accused him of trying to make money off of the atomic bombing, Kikkawa remained steadfast.

“His determination to convey the reality of the atomic bombing was unshakable,” said Fumie Takahashi, an 87-year-old Hiroshima resident who worked part-time at the store after graduating from junior high school. “He never had the slightest intention of trying to make money.”

In 1951, he formed the atomic bomb survivors’ organization in Hiroshima. The following year, he created the association of atomic bombing victims with Sankichi Toge (1917-1953), a poet who survived the atomic bombing, and others. This led to the establishment of organizations for atomic bomb survivors in various areas, and four years later, in 1956, Nihon Hidankyo was born.

Kikkawa suffered a stroke in 1977, so the passion to convey the reality of the atomic bombing was carried on by Ikimi, Takahashi, Takahashi’s husband Akihiro and others. Akihiro, who died in 2011 at 80 years old, also served as the director of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and gave more than 3,000 testimonies in Japan and overseas.

Later, as Ikimi passed away and Takahashi was diagnosed with cancer at 70, opportunities to speak publicly about Kikkawa’s story and achievements dwindled.

The news of winning the Peace Prize arrived amid such a sense of stagnation.

“I’ll be happy if this award provides an opportunity for many people to reflect on the hardships of atomic bomb survivors who devoted themselves in the early years,” said Takahashi.