Using VR to tell a hibakusha’s storyーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
Nearly 80 years since the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, people are working to make sure history does not repeat itself. They’re putting their heads together to come up with powerful ways to deliver messages of the survivors known as hibakshia to younger generations. As we’ll see in a report, virtual reality content developed by NHK that simulates a young boy’s experience of the bombing of Hiroshima is proving to be impactful. The following images may be disturbing to some viewers. The protagonist of the VR story is Kodama Mitsuo, an atomic bomb survivor who actively offered his testimony until he died of cancer 5 years ago. [Music] Kodama experienced the atomic bombing at the age of 12 at his junior high school, not far from ground zero. 288 of his fellow students were killed. Their memory is what motivated him to tell his story. [Music] To share his experience, Kodama kept various records. They served as helpful materials in making the VR content. Kodama’s notes describe in detail how his classmates got injured as well as their last words before dying. He also collaborated with high school art students to tell his story in paintings. One of the works is titled Poolside Tragedy. NHK tried to reproduce the wounds of some of Kodama’s classmates with help from a physician specializing in burns and special effects makeup artists. It also used accounts of other Hebachia and related materials to visualize Kodama’s memories. As part of its effort to share Kodama’s lesson with younger people, NHK showed the completed VR content at a high school in Hiroshima City. August 6th, 1945. On that day, there were 307 grade seven students in attendance. Listening to Kodama’s voice, the students experience his memories as though they are right there with him. Boys Club, give it back. Hey, hurry. I went to look at the boys club magazine my friend brought. As I reached for it, that very moment, I saw a flash of light. and a huge pillar of fire. And then I instantly fell unconscious. It was totally dark outside. I couldn’t see a thing. Kodama found that many students were trapped under the rubble. To get help, he went to the school’s pool. What he saw there would become seared into his memory. My back is burning. My back is burning. Is that you, Mitzwell? Who is it? I can’t see. Well, what’s what’s wrong with my face? The fire’s coming this way. The flames gradually spread to the school. Everyone, the fire is spreading. You’ve got to run away or else you’ll be burned to death. Kodama’s message cannot be conveyed through the VR content alone. A speaker known as an ABOM legacy successor talks to the students about his strong wish. The VR experience seemed to shock some of the students, but also got them thinking deeply about what they saw. Go up there, Of course, VR has its limitations, but it’s fair to say this visual medium expanded the students imagination, even to the point where some of them broke down in tears. And it seems to have real potential to help people see what happened back then as something that could happen again. The entire VR story will be shown in a special NHK World program on July 31st. It will also be played at the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the atomic bomb victims in August.
Amid the very real threat of nuclear weapons, hearing A-bomb survivors’ stories is as important as ever. New virtual reality content lets users “experience” what one 12-year-old lived through 80 years ago in Hiroshima.
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More stories on Hiroshima & Nagasaki: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/tags/28/
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