W01, Zion Ikesue ‘22, Masako Ōmori, Grandmother, 1944, Yamaguchi, Hiroshima
I conducted this interview on October 4, 2020, by telephone (because we live over four hours away by Shinkansen from my grandmother). I’ve also tried to stick to the original language used by the interviewees before my translation into English, as it is more authentic to keep it this way.
Interviewee: Masako Ōmori, 76 years old, my maternal grandmother
Masako Ōmori was born in 1944, and she was one year old when the nuclear bomb was dropped, and when the war ended. She will share her personal experiences, along with her husband’s experiences of World War II. Many of the stories in this interview are based on my grandfather’s experiences. Noboru Ōmori, my grandfather, was born in 1938. He was seven years old, in second grade, when the nuclear bomb was dropped.
Interviewer: Thank you for participating in this interview. I know that this topic and these experiences are traumatic and hard to discuss.
Q: When were you born?
A: I was born in Yamaguchi in 1944, whereas Grandpa was born in Hiroshima in 1938.
Q: Can you recall the events of World War II?
A: Your great-grandfather Isamu worked for the National Railways (Kokutetsu), which later became known as Japan Railways (JR). He lived near Hiroshima Station and worked there. He witnessed many bombs dropped near his station. He feared for the life of his family, and on August 3, 1945, he evacuated to the city of Kure, the home of his younger brother’s family, which was about 40 minutes by train from Hiroshima Station. Three days later, on August 6, 1945 the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Grandpa claims that he saw the B-29 bomber in the distance and saw a shining light in the distance that morning.
Japanese school education had been halted, and during Physical Education classes from middle school upwards, children were taught to make bamboo spears and trained to fight using them. Schools and the government collected metal products to convert them into weapons. The school lunches were filled with questionable food, which contained an assortment of mysterious items. This food caused children to have diarrhea.
The radio frequently broadcast “fake news,” as the announcers claimed that Japan was winning, when in reality it was losing, so as not to discourage the people. Grandpa did not hear the announcement about the end of the war clearly; however, all children and adults were afraid of the Americans invading and killing them. However, they were surprised by the kindness shown by General Douglas MacArthur.
Great-grandfather Isamu had another younger brother named Kazuo. He was drafted by the military to become a soldier and unfortunately died in the war on April 27th, 1945, in Burma. He was only 24 years old at that time.
Q: How has living since World War II shaped your memories of childhood?
A: I saw black-square-shaped fighter jets in the sky, forming a linear formation near [the U.S. Marine base at] Iwakuni. I personally had enough to eat because I came from a family of farmers and lived a relatively free life. I walked for about one hour to school and study.
Q: How did living in Hiroshima shape your education and life?
A: Our education did not differ much from other children. I attended a small school, so the elementary and middle school had shared sports days. We had family-school talent shows, sang songs, and studied with textbooks. Education in Hiroshima after the war focused on teaching about world peace.
Q: What was the emotional response to the events that happened in Hiroshima?
A: It’s hard for me to remember, since I was only one year old, and I wasn’t a direct participant in the war.
Q: What do you remember being afraid of?
A: My great uncle (who was later the husband of Grandfather’s sister) was a worker at the [Imperial Japanese Navy] base in Kure, the home port of the battleship Yamato, when he was 16 years old. He knew that the war had been lost, and he feared that his family would be killed by the invading Americans. Fearing for the life of his family, he ran barefoot, running across the Ondoo Bridge. He returned to Hiroshima when he witnessed the burnt fields. His family sold rice, and since rice was considered the currency, they were wealthy enough to survive. However, he had problems with diarrhea, due to eating too little in the past. He also returned to Hiroshima before much time passed, as he did not know about the atomic bomb. He then became a victim of the bombing . Great-uncle had a very neat diary of recorded events, about the war and the bombings, which is stored in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. He recalls the terrors of seeing people with their hair melting off and their skin being burnt, so their appearances seemed ghostly, and they were searching for water. Their skin was liquifying, and thousands of people went to the river and died. Fleas and maggots surrounded that area.
Q: How did you find joy in tough times?
A: I remember there being marches and protests after the war, protesting in favor of world peace. I wasn’t old enough to go to these events, but I was inspired by them.
Q: What types of food were available in the post-war period?
A: Grandpa’s family were not farmers so they lacked food supply. They would go to the market and to the houses of the neighbors and ask them to split some rice with them. They would sell their precious kimono in exchange for some rice or sweet potatoes. They ate the sweet potatoes raw, and this was bad for the stomach. They ate chagayu, which was when they cooked about one bowl of rice with large amounts of water. They knew that water would have no taste, so they put a tea bag to add taste. Since two families lived together (with seven to nine people), they had very little to eat, and one bowl would be filled with tea-like water with five to six grains of rice. They were always hungry, and they lived in a shared space for about two years.
When Grandpa’s sister was ten years old, in Grade 5, her school forced them to plow the dirt in an effort to produce food. I speculate they may have been trying to plant sweet potatoes. They had no education, no books, and they used mimeographs to study. Many people died from starvation, and rice became the new currency, so they gave up their valuables for survival. Even though I wasn’t old enough to be involved, I did not have a luxurious diet. During school picnics, we would sit by a fire, and many classmates would only have a few pickled vegetables with rice underneath. Others had a piece of egg or a piece of spicy masu (salmon), and I recall being extremely jealous of one kid with a tiny-thin slice of sausage. I thought they were so lucky.
Q: What is your opinion on nuclear weapons?
A: War ought to be abolished.
Q: What knowledge do you want to pass on to people who did not experience war?
A: Everyone has different ideas, so talk to each other and be friendly as an individual within your family, and to your friends, and to people from other countries. Nationalistic ideas make this harder, but we must attempt to understand each other to find the best solution for both sides.
Q: Who were the “good guys” and “bad guys” of World War II?
A: The radio claimed that Japan was the good guys and dehumanized the Americans.They often lied about events and only reported information that benefited and made the Japanese government look good.
Q: If you were in charge of the Japanese government, what would you have done differently?
A: War is absolutely wrong. There is no merit in war. Only destruction is caused. I pray for a world of peace.
Q: How do you think the new constitution shaped Japanese society?
A: I don’t remember much. As I said, this was a long time ago. I just remember how people were surprised that MacArthur was a nice man.
Q: What do you think of Article 9 [of the Constitution]?
A: I support the democratization of the constitution and support America’s decision to implement Article 9. I strongly support Article 9; however, the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) are necessary for defense, as we should be able to defend ourselves but not invade other countries.
Q: What do you think of the Emperor becoming a symbol?
A: I think the Emperor is not a good fit to run the government, and I don’t mind him being a symbol.
Q: What would you teach the kids of today about war?
A: Bombs and military equipment are a waste of money. Spend it on world peace. Overcome religious and ideological differences.
Interviewer: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me about these difficult memories and for answering my questions. This interview will be typed into a transcript, and the memories will forever be preserved, tens of years after I graduate from Saint Maur. Do you have any objections?
A: Yes, I have no problem with that. There is nothing wrong with this testimony.