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Hi All,
Many of you know I buy and sell artifacts and items from the bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. I have collected for several years now but as the last few were consumed with other responsibilities, I was never able to find time to get things out of storage, in some cases even unpack them, and see them together. Here is a photograph of a small portion of my own Hiroshima collection. Just some artifacts - I have a lot more material from survivors autographs to signed books and original color slides. I labelled the images so you can see what you are looking at. I have NO interest in war - this is collected to show the strength of one man - Kiyoshi Kikkawa (1913-1987), who was a victim and turned his circumstances around and used his unwanted platform ("A-Bomb Victim #1" as the press dubbed him..."Joe Kikkawa") to promote peace for the rest of his life. He was among those who struggled to preserve the Dome building we all know today.
I hope you find this interesting. In time other collections will be removed from storage and photographed - posted if anyone wants to see. Very eclectic collections.
Tags: Hiroshima
Some new examples recently acquired for my collection and my customers. These were recovered from the Motoyasu River near the Genbaku Dome and differ from the "normal" roof tile because they were blasted into the water immediately while the exposed surface was in a liquid state from exposure to the radiation/heat features of the bomb. Other tiles on land cooled at a different rate and have a different surface texture more like glass meringue tipped beige fired clay. The first example is mine and is of good size - a much smaller sample just went for over $325 at auction. I am pointing to the unflashed surfaces/natural edge. The second photo is a small fragment boxed as I sell them. Such a fragment will be shipped to a Professor at a California University and Online Radioactive Museum which I have supplied Hiroshima blast materials for in the past. He will place the sample I send on a mass spectrometer and take a reading of the Europium isotope which are the signature of this bomb. Having spent some 40 years in running water I do not expect more than a trace reading (hence no gloves) but the surfaces are spectacularly tell-tale. August 6th, 8:16 am, 1945.
This is what the spectrometer readings look like - the Kv line indicates the presence of Europium isotopes associated with the Hiroshima bomb. The item being tested is a fragment of melted window glass which I then sold to the museum online.
Another new addition! This is a Kawara roof tile that was just to the right of Zero Ground (more or less east) and was blown immediately into the Motoyasu River, which is only a few hundred yards away, if that. This means the tile was exposed to the brunt of the flash. This caused the surface, exposed to 3000 degree Celsius temperatures for 1/10 of a second, to bubble and "peak" and then cool very quickly in the river while still molten. Very different surface signature than tiles recovered on land (which I have shown above).
Please click for full image to see the glass-like "peaks" - something...like a lemon meringue pie:
Welcome surprise! The aggregate above the tile is partially magnetic!
I have NO interest in war - this is collected to show the strength of one man - Kiyoshi Kikkawa (1913-1987), who was victim #1 and by the press - he turned his circumstances around and used his unwanted platform ("A-Bomb Victim #1" as the press dubbed him..."Joe Kikkawa") to promote peace for the rest of his life. He was among those who struggled to preserve the Dome building we all know today.
Hi All. I've pretty much stopped collecting Hiroshima items. These images show 20 rare items. I have about 50 more from original color slides from 1945 to the books commonly sold to GI's heading to Korea or back C1953. Also press photographs, survivors autobiographies signed in 1952 and a lot more.
I could fit a few more things but wanted to maintain a somber presentation. Click to enlarge:
Interesting collection, Eric, tastefully presented. Sometimes, less is more.
Thank you Steve. I'll post later what the items are. While this does not represent my full collection it does show all my blast items.
Hi Steve,
The items shown from first to last photo:
Photo 1 - A handmade model of the Genbaku Dome with cast pot metal dome. C.1955 (slightly radioactive from the metal).
Behind is one of the flyers we did or did not drop (we did).
On the left is a 1947 Press Photo of "Zero Ground', razor sharp.
On the right is a super rare film still from Hiroshima (ひろしま) from 1953 directed by Hideo Sekigawa. In a flashback sequence, tens of thousands of extras from Hiroshima, many of them survivors, helped recreate the "hellscape" immediately following the bombing.
In the display box is a melted window glass fragment with carbonized plant vines in it - it is very special because it was collected in 1945.
On the shelf are various radioactive ragments of different materials exposed to the blast. They are blue and white porcelain, a glass bottle (green with rusted cap folded into the molten glass) and aggregate metal, recovered from the Motoyasu River in 1980.
I'll write the rest out for photo 2 and 3 later. :)
Glad you dind it interesting. Few do.
Many thanks, Eric.
You may remember, I visited Japan in 1996, to see David Bowie play live. Hiroshima was a highlight of that trip, for many reasons. So, yes, I have a special interest in the country and its history.
I am also a huge film buff, and own a copy of the Hideo Sekigawa film on Blu-ray.
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