Archive for the ‘Hibakusha’ Category

Mrs. Hisayo Yamashita

Monday, January 30th, 2012

..January 2012.. ..Tokyo..

Ms. Hisayo Yamashita from paul saviano on Vimeo.

Atomic bomb survivor Mrs. Setsuko Thurlow visiting schools in New York

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Atomic bomb survivors speaking to NY students

Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

From Above

Saturday, December 31st, 2011


Mrs. Yamashita at Gallery EF, Last Goodbye, November 2010


“With gratitude of life, I live my life as strong as I can.
And for the sake of people who were forced to end life at that moment,
it is my role to make the world go around.” –Mrs. Hisayo Yamashita


“I attend the memorial service every year on August 9th,
to apologize to the people I had to stand by and watch die.” –Mr. Hisanobu Murozono

Mrs. Chisa Tanimoto


“I did not even think I had been saved.
I was filled with hate for a long time.
But now, I devote my life to telling others my story.
It is my responsibility to teach younger generations
about the dignity of life and the importance of peace.” –Mrs. Suzuko Numata


“Among humankind’s abilities, it is said imagination is the weakest and forgetfulness the strongest.” —Mr. Akihiro Takahashi

Atomic bomb survivor Mr. Akihiro Takahashi

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

..November 2011.. ..Hiroshima..

Today atomic bomb survivor (hibakusha) Mr. Akihiro Takahashi passed away at the age of 80. He was standing in a school yard 1.4km from the hypocenter along with 150 students when the atomic bomb was detonated over Hiroshima.

I was fortunate to have photographed him exactly a year ago at his home. I snapped photograph 12 frames of film before he had to be carried back to his bed.

It was admirable to be in the presence of someone who has given every moment of their life to pleading that the world would be a better place without nuclear weapons. He has sacrificed a lifetime explaining how much the hibakusha have suffered. Likewise, he has urged the future generations that it is crucial for them to have a voice against nuclear weapons, because these weapons are a continuing threat today to world peace.

His peace activism started early in life and has carried on throughout. He attended the first Hiroshima Citizens’ Conference Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, held in 1954, and has feverishly spoken about the need to eliminate nuclear weapons in many countries throughout the world including the United States, the former USSR and China.

His most memorable moments included his trips to the former USSR in 1965 and his speech, in 1983, at the UN European Headquarters in Geneva. Concurrently, he also visited to the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) in Vienna, where he requested that photos of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki be placed on display in the IAEA building. His request was rejected. He also traveled to China, in 1986, where he met victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

However, his most memorable moment was during June 1980 when Mr. Takahashi visited Washington D.C. to speak at the Exhibition of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki organized by the Hiroshima Youth Association. A meeting was arranged by a journalist with Paul Tibetts, the pilot of the “Enola Gay,” the aircraft the “Little Boy” atomic bomb was dropped from. It was the first time a crew member met with an atomic bomb survivor.

Today a great humanitarian has silently slipped away.

FROM ABOVE featured on the John Batchelor Show, WABC Radio

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

My interview with talk show host John Batchelor was broadcast on WABC Radio this weekend. It was the first US interview about FROM ABOVE, my book featuring portraits and testimonials of atomic bomb survivors and firebombing survivors from Dresden and Tokyo.

The interview can now be heard on the web at this link:
http://podfuse-dl.andomedia.com/800185/podfuse-origin.andomedia.com/citadel_origin/pods/WABC/WABC-Batchelor/jbs_102911b.mp3

The book can be purchased in the US, Japan and Europe from this links:
http://www.photoeye.com/bookstore/citation.cfm?catalog=I1040

There will only be one edition of the book printed and we hope to have all copies sold by the end of the year.

Hibakusha, atomic bomb survivor Mrs. Kaz Sueishi

Saturday, October 29th, 2011

..October 2010.. ..New York..

Atomic bomb survivor, Mrs. Kaz Sueishi speaking about her experience in Hiroshima to a student at Columbia University.

Mrs. Sueishi was born in the US during 1927. Her family returned to Hiroshima early in her life. She was 18 years old when the atomic bomb was detonated. Mrs Sueishi, a US citizen, returned to the US in the 1950’s where she has worked vigorously to promote peace education and raise public awareness on nuclear disarmament.

Hibakusha Mrs. Setsuko Thurlow speak about Fukushima

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

..October 2011.. ..New York..

Atomic bomb survivor Mrs. Setsuko Thurlow speaking about the tragedy in Fukushima, Japan and the future of nuclear energy.

Mrs. Thurlow survived the Hiroshima atomic bombing when she was 13 years old. She moved to Canada later in life and became a prominent voice to raise awareness of the dangers of nuclear weapons.

From Above TV Interview on Nippon TV

Friday, September 30th, 2011

..September 2011.. ..New York to Tokyo..

My recent Nippon tv interview about the book release of From Above and portraits of atomic bomb survivors.
http://www.news24.jp/articles/2011/09/21/10191096.html

From Above photo book available at Kinokuniya book store in New York

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011

..August 2011.. ..New York..

FROM ABOVE, my photo book, featuring survivors of the atomic bombs; the Tokyo and Dresden fire bombings and the Bikini Incident, at Kinokuniya book store in New York. It is also available on-line through this link.

https://bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp/guest/cgi-bin/wshoseaohb.cgi?W-NIPS=Q-90425608&AREA=02&LANG=E