U.S. Students Give English-Language Presentation on A-bomb Survivor’s Experiences

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, August 7, 2023

HIROSHIMA — Students from the University of Idaho on Saturday gave an English-language kamishibai picture-card presentation documenting the experiences of Keiko Ogura, 86, a survivor of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Ogura, who was 8-years-old when the bomb exploded, met with the leaders of the Group of Seven nations during their summit-related stay in Hiroshima in May, sharing memories of surviving the calamity.

The kamishibai storytelling show was originally created in 2019 by students of Hiroshima Municipal Motomachi High School, based on Ogura’s accounts. Titled “Keiko no Hachigatsu Muika” (Keiko’s Aug. 6), the 30 watercolor cards depict the devastation wreaked by the bomb as recalled by Ogura, including how people suffering from serious burns died before her eyes.

Last September, Azusa Tojo, a 41-year-old a Japanese language teacher at the university, invited Ogura to share her experiences through the use of kamishibai. Encouraged by Ogura to share her story with the world, the students created an English-language version of her story.

On Saturday, five students gave the picture-card presentation in front of about 50 people, including Ogura. The cards were projected on a large monitor.

Speaking after the presentation, Devin Michaelis, 22, a student at the university, said, “If people over the world hear about Keiko’s experiences, they can pave the way for a world without war or nukes.”