Pieces on Peace, August 2026 Edition

めぐり来しかの日かの時ヒロシマ忌

Here again,

That day, that time –

Hiroshima Day.

At 8:15am on Monday, August 6, 1945 on the outskirts of Hiroshima, a fifteen-year old boy named Yasuhiko Shigemoto was using his shirt to wipe sweat from his forehead when a blast threw him backward and burned his exposed stomach. He survived the first atomic bomb that was used to kill human beings, but most of his family members and friends died instantly or in the days and weeks following.

Sixty-nine years later, I had the chance to meet Mr. Shigemoto in Hiroshima and present him with a copy of my senior honors thesis— a translated compilation of haiku poetry written by hibakusha atomic bomb survivors, including many of Mr. Shigemoto’s poems. Mr. Shigemoto was then 85 years old and still actively writing haiku poetry. Although I felt both nervous and somber as I prepared to meet Mr. Shigemoto, those feelings quickly vanished as he joyfully greeted me with me with excitement and warmth. He shared that he was given hope that a young American woman would take interest in Hiroshima and his poetry. As we said our goodbyes, he shared a heartfelt commission with me, urging me to please continue working to make the world a more peaceful place. I understood at that moment that peacemaking was my calling.

As the only two places that have experienced the horrors of atomic bombs, Hiroshima and Nagasaki ask the world that they be the first and last to know the devastation wrought by nuclear warfare. The last of the Hibakusha survivors of the bombings will soon be gone. I urge you to listen to their stories and learn about Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I believe you too will hear a commissioning from the Holy Spirit to pray and work towards a peaceful world that is liberated from the threat of nuclear annihilation.

ヒロシマ記地球はみなの故郷よ

Hiroshima Day,

the earth

is everyone’s home

 

– Veronica Ota, Peacemaking & Justice Advocate