“It worries me to think that the passage of months and years tends to cloud memories and that the grave reality of the atomic bombings will eventually fade into the background.”
-Koichi Wada, Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor
長い年月を経るに従い人々の記憶もおぼろになり、被爆という重大な事実が風化され、忘れさられるのではないだろうか。
和田 耕一
I received the sad news that Koichi Wada passed away at the age of 94.
I photographed other hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) during my initial trips to Nagasaki who knew Wada-san but I didn’t have the opportunity to photograph him until 2016. Our paths never crossed until Ayumi-san asked him about being photographed.
At the time he had already lost many of his memories to dementia. But during our conversation there were brief moments where he would remember something about his experience on August 9th, 1945. Even though his memories were impeded by dementia I hope that his message to abolish nuclear weapons comes through in his portrait.
Tags: From Above, Hibakusha, Koichi Wada, Nagasaki