“I poured the water I was carrying, over my head then poured the water into my hand and put my hand to my lips. We helped each other and endured the suffocation. Gradually, the burning heat had gone.”
-Hiroo Fujima, Tokyo firebombing survivor
On the night of March 10th, 1945 Tokyo was pummeled into ash. The men, women and children in one of the world’s largest cities, crumbled under a calculated reign of fire. More civilians died that night in Tokyo than both atomic bombings combined.
A small selection of From Above is being exhibited at Gallery èf in Tokyo to commemorate the people who perished in the destruction of Tokyo. The exhibition is open until March 10th.
“I survived by the grace of the deceased. But to stop history from repeating itself I have to speak.” -Haruyo Nihei, Tokyo firebomb survivor
Mrs. Haruyo Nihei experienced the firebombing of Tokyo on the night of March 10th, 1945. Bombers carpeted Tokyo with spread incendiary bombs for hours and after the bombing ceased, the city was wrapped in flames. Almost everything burnt in the city.
“The fire died down because there was nothing left to be burnt. I remember walking the site of fire, by stepping over charred bodies”
When the bombing started she began to escape with her family, but the flames cornered her and she was separated from them. The streets were full of panic. She fell down and fainted. People then piled on top of her. She, and others near the bottom of the pile, survived because the people near the top bore the brunt of the inferno.
I received the sad news that Michiko Kiyooka passed away sometime during 2018. Mrs. Kiyooka was a Tokyo fire bombing survivor that I photographed in 2008. Her portrait and testimony is one of the first to be featured in the From Above project.
She was 21 years old when Tokyo was firebombed on
March 10th, 1945. She jumped into the freezing Sumida River to escape
the furious firestorm consuming everything it’s path. Hours after she
managed to pull herself to an area along
the banks that was safe. She headed towards a contained fire
underneath a bridge to get some warmth but had no idea the fire was a
pile of corpses. She lost her father and sister when they froze to
death and drown in the Sumida. Their bodies were taken out 3 days
later.
Each time I stare at the murky waters of the Sumida I can’t imagine the sorrow Mrs. Kiyooka carried all of her life.
From Above has been extended another week and will now close on April 9th. If you’re in Tokyo please come visit Gallery EF.
From Above, featuring portraits of atomic bomb and fire bombing victims from WWII, will be exhibited at Gallery EF in Tokyo, March 11th-April 2nd, 2018.
This From Above exhibition corresponds with the 73rd anniversary of the Tokyo fire bombings that destroyed the city during WWII. It features portraits of firebombing survivors from Tokyo, and other WWII fire bombing survivors from Dresden, Coventry, Rotterdam and Wielun. A small selection of atomic bomb survivor portraits will also be shown to display all the areas that From Above has focused on.
Final week of the From Above exhibition at Gallery EF. Open until Monday April 2nd.
This From Above exhibition corresponds with the 73rd anniversary of the Tokyo fire bombings that destroyed the city during WWII. It features portraits of firebombing survivors from Tokyo, and other WWII fire bombing survivors from Dresden, Coventry, Rotterdam and Wielun. A small selection of atomic bomb survivor portraits will also be shown to display all the areas that From Above has focused on.
Gallery Ef
2-19-18 Kaminarimon, Taito-ku,
Tokyo 111-0034
www.gallery-ef.com
Gallery EF
111-0034
東京都台東区雷門 2-19-18
www.gallery-ef.com
From Above will be exhibited at Gallery EF in Tokyo, March 11th-April 2nd, 2018.
This From Above exhibition corresponds with the 73rd anniversary of the Tokyo fire bombings that destroyed the city during WWII. It features portraits of firebombing survivors from Tokyo, and other WWII fire bombing survivors from Dresden, Coventry, Rotterdam and Wielun. A small selection of atomic bomb survivor portraits will also be shown to display all the areas that From Above has focused on.
Gallery EF is where the From Above project was conceived in 2008 and first exhibited in 2009. It is the project’s spiritual home.
From Above has been exhibited at Gallery EF several times but hasn’t returned in a couple of years. So there are plenty of new portraits that will be shown for the first time.
Gallery Ef
2-19-18 Kaminarimon, Taito-ku,
Tokyo 111-0034
www.gallery-ef.com
Gallery EF
111-0034
東京都台東区雷門 2-19-18
www.gallery-ef.com
