..August 2017.. ..Nagasaki..
Just got a message that Sumiteru Taniguchi has passed away.
Now I know why it’s been raining all day.
Almost 9 years to the day I photographed him.
“The war ended 64 years ago, but not for us. The victims have been suffering ever since and we don’t know it’s going to effect future generations.”
-Sumiteru Taniguchi, from my interview in September 2008
Mr. Sumiteru Taniguchi was the fourth atomic bomb bomb survivor (hibakusha) I photographed during my first trip to Nagasaki.
Taniguchi-san was the most distinguished and sophisticated person I have photographed. His demeanor was always honorable. His intelligent aura immediately filled the large board room we sat in.
Taniguchi-san’s story of survival was remarkable. His dedication to the Hibakusha cause and activism against nuclear weapons was unrelenting.
Taniguchi-san had the poise of a statesman. In Japan, Taniguchi-san was a major figure in the Hibakusha getting rights and compensation from the government. He was also vocal about his feelings toward other Hibakusha who failed to have their voices heard. He could not understand those who believed the government was doing enough for the Hibakusha.
I have a great deal of respect for Taniguchi-san’s opinion and courage. If it weren’t for his, and the efforts of other vocal Hibakusha, the government would be waiting for all the Hibakusha to pass away without memory. His strength to live is what made my experience unforgettable.
He was poised in front of the camera. You can see the his inner strength when you look at the eyes in his photos. Despite his fragile body, he was the strongest man ever to be in front of my camera.
Taniguichi-san was known as the Postman of Nagasaki. He was delivering the mail on the morning of August 9th, 1945. He started his route at 9AM. Air raid sirens went off a couple of times but no raids occurred.
At 10AM his bicycle tire punctured. He continued the route on foot. After finishing the route, he returned to the bicycle to fix the tire.
11AM he left Nishiura-Kami post office to deliver more mail. He heard planes in the distance. Moments later he was thrown off his bicycle while the ground shook.
“When I looked up, the house I just passed was destroyed. I saw a child blown away. Some small children who had been playing nearby had been blown away like dust.”
His bicycle was twisted, mail scattered on the ground. His first reaction was to pick up the letters. When he told this to me. It stuck in my memory.
He finds shelter 200 yards away in tunnel used to house munitions. He notices that the skin on his entire left arm is dripping off like a flimsy rag. The shirt on his back is literally burnt off. In the tunnel, some people cut the hanging skin off his arm.
10 minutes after the atomic bomb he tried to stand-up. But couldn’t move. They had to move to safer location because of the munitions.
“I tried to stand, but could not stand any more. I could not walk.”
A man then carried Taniguichi-san to a hill. People pass asking for water. They died quickly. Bodies piled as they fell over and died.
..Night of August 9th, 1945..
All of Nagasaki burnt that night. Flames made the Nagasaki night as bright as sunlight. House, factories, and the mountains in smoldered feverishly. People passed searching for family.
Around dawn it started to rain. He swallowed rain water accumulating on the tree leaves. At sunrise everyone lying around him had died. A rescue team arrived, he tried to ask for help but they thought he was dead. He didn’t have the strength to move or talk.
He was rescued 3 days later and taken to the Shinko Elementary School. Taniguchi-san remained bed ridden, lying on his stomach for 21 consecutive months.
“People at the hospital cheered when I was able to stand.”
Sumiteru Taniguchi January 26th, 1929- August 29th, 2017
