Dated: 06/10/2009

Textiles which survived Hiroshima to go on display in Britain

Textiles which survived Hiroshima bomb to go on show in Britain

Textiles which survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima are to go on display in a new exhibition at York Art Gallery from October 10, 2009.

The two air raid hoods, one of which was only 600m from ground zero of the bombing, were donated to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan to inspire peace and encourage people to never forget the horrors of atomic warfare.

They are coming to York as part of the Japanese Sashiko Textiles exhibition, which will be followed by a national tour.

A spokesperson for the art gallery, said: “The horrific bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have left a deep scar on Japanese history - the scale and consequences of the loss of life and damage caused can be completely overwhelming.

“But by considering these remarkable garments and the stories of those who were wearing them at the time, we are able to learn about this massive tragedy on a much more personal level.”

The first Air-raid Hood was donated by Hatsue Kitabayashi, the mother of Tetsuo Kitabayshi, a 12 year old who found himself only 600m from ground zero of the Hiroshima bomb. A first-year student at Second Hiroshima Prefectural Junior High School, he was exposed to the bomb at his building demolition work site. Burned over his entire body, he managed to make it home and was taken to a relief station in Ujina. Later, his parents took him home again, where he died without ever fully regaining consciousness.

His mother gave it to the museum on October 8th, 1981. “I don’t want his sacrifice to go to waste. I want this to be used to spread peace,” were her thoughts for the donation.

The second hood was donated by Sonoe Kubotaka. She was 23 when she was exposed to the bomb on a platform at Hiroshima Station, 1900m from ground zero. She was blasted to the ground and when she came to, she was badly burned from her shoulder up onto her head. Her hair was burned off completely.

She escaped from the station just before it burst into flames. In the afternoon of the 7th August 1945, the day after the bomb was dropped, she developed a high fever and a severe headache. Wracked with pain from these symptoms and her burns, she begged her mother to kill her. About three months later, thanks to the devoted care she received from her mother, she miraculously recovered.

Sonoe Kubotaka donated the hood herself in 2002, she said she wants it to be used for the sake of peace.
Both garments are included in the first major museum exhibition of Japanese Sashiko Textiles to take place in Britain.
The show and subsequent national tour will present traditional and contemporary textiles and garments, designed to decorate and protect the wearer both physically and spiritually.

Entitled Japanese Sashiko Textiles, it sets out to present a sense of time and place in which these works were created.
The exhibition has been selected by textile artist Michele Walker whose research has been facilitated by a three year Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Fellowship.

It is supported by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, the Arts Council Yorkshire, Japan Airlines, Renaissance Yorkshire, The Japan Foundation and the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.

The image accompanying this article shows how hardy Sashiko clothing needed to be. Copyright Iwamiya Takeji.