Fatima Saavedra

We began class by discussing a 14-minute video time lapse of atomic bombs across the
world. The time lapse shows where the atomic bombs have gone off across the world (from
1945-2011). About 1200 atomic bombs have gone off across the world and about 600 of them
have gone off in the United States. The early atomic tests were done out in the open, but now
most of the tests are done underground or in the oceans; however, some tests are conducted in
the desert.
We moved on to discuss Tanimoto from Hiroshima. At the end of the book the author
comments on how Tanimotos memory was getting a little slip-shot and how the worlds
memory of Hiroshima was also getting muddy. He interrupts his narrative by having news
flashes-which tell us about other countries that are developing atomic weapons (this all
contradictory to Tanimotos peace efforts). In Hiroshima, Tanimoto tries to help as many people
as he can, but his efforts are being frustrated because most of the people that he heals end up
dying the next morning (irony of his life). After Hiroshima, when Tanimoto starts talking about
the atomic bombs, he becomes a suspect. The United States fears communism (The Red Scare),
and they believe that Tanimoto is using the atomic bombs against them. Tanimoto becomes a
suspect and he is watched, even though all he really wants is peace. Later on Tanimoto appears
on a television show (in the 1950s). Tanimoto is not prepared for his appearance, and the
television show twists what Hiroshima really represented. The show twists a serious event
(deadly situation) and molds it to fit mass entertainment.
We went on to discuss more of the show. The show in which Tanimoto appeared was
called This Is Your Life, and the host of the show was Ralph Edwards. The class was then shown
a video clip of the show where Hanna Blochkohner was the person being interviewed (this video
is about 8 years after the war). The host, Ralph Edwards, seems happy and involved. The

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audience is happy and well dressed (seemingly waiting in anticipation for what is to come).
There is also an ad in the background. The ad is or Hazel Beauty Miracles-who is the main
sponsor of the show. This lead us to believe that the main target where women because the show
involved drama and sentimentality. The class agreed that the show was turning a useful event
into a commodity (turned into sentimental entertainment). The ads during the show were also a
little odd because one would go from a serious concept of life and death to the ad which
discussed nail polish. Professor Brady mentioned that when Tanimoto was on the show he was
made to meet a crew member that dropped the atomic bomb. Professor Brady pulled up pictures
from the internet where we can see Tanimoto on the show, and Tanimoto looked bewildered and
uncomfortable in some of the pictures. The shows main purpose was to entertain, and clearly it
didnt really care if the interviewers became uncomfortable.
Professor Brady then showed us artwork based on Hiroshimas attack. The first paintng
we were shown was full of color. There was a parachute floating which gave the impression of a
peaceful setting. There were mountain ranges and valleys, but what stood out was the red sun.
The red sun seemed to have fumes coming off of it. The atomic bomb was often compared to the
energy of the sun put into a little case. The sun can also be compared to the way the Japanese
sun-the one on the Japanese flag. The painting could be the peaceful setting that is yet to be
destroyed. The next painting we were shown was said to be succulent, like pulsing energy,
colorful, and powerful. There were windblown pine trees that were beautifully shaped. Professor
Brady mentioned the pine trees are a staple in Japane-many people venture to Japan to see them
specifically in Matsushima (sp?). There was also a little house in the corner of the painting that
seemed to be disintegrating. It was red-this could represent blood or fire. The painting seemed to
be a collage of various things blowing up simultaneously. We were shown another painting that

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showed people escaping from the fire. The people sought refuge in the river bank. We were then
shown a painting of the smoke cloud of the bomb. The smoke cloud of the bomb was seen to be
bigger than the nature around it. The next painting we were shown was one that had a smudgy
sky-kind of like the color of sand. The painting was mostly monochromatic, and there were
charred trees as well. There was also a gate to the Shinto Shrine. The Shinto Shrine Gate is seen
to be an entryway to a spiritual space. Its a traditionalistic/religious symbol in Japanese culture.
This painting seemed to capsulate Japanese History in both the traditional and in the modernist
(industrialized) way. The next painting was one of a traditional building that could be seen as a
temple. There were many silhouettes of dead bodies. These bodies were orange and someone
mentioned that they looked like paper cutouts. They may have been seeking refuge in the
temple/building. The next painting shows the world on fire. The horizon is filled with flames,
and the people in the paintings have been stripped of their humanity (theyre naked in the
flames). They have been dehumanized. The next painting is a swirl of flames. There are people
burning. They are being vaporized (the people appear to be transparent). The next two painting
showed people escaping the fire by seeking refuge on the river. One of the paintings showed
many people trying to swim to safety. Professor Brady mentioned that they looked like a school
of fish migrating. We were shown a painting of cisterns. These were used to try to cool down,
but instead the people in the painting are depicted as being boiled. Professor Brady showed us
more paintings of people leaving with their skin coming off. They were walking away like
zombies.
We then moved on to discuss Crazy Iris. The woman that was found in the pond was both
in Hiroshima and Fukuyama. In the story they explain that she must have gone crazy and
drowned herself. The iris blooming was seen as an aberration in nature. The story of the suicide

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comes to the narrators mind. The other woman in the story seemed to have died more peacefully.
Her arms were folded (paying respects) and the kimono she was wearing reminded him of
goldfish fins. The scene was described as sympathetic and sorrowful. The imagery described was
beautiful. The story is like a cosmic vision (traditional story of the cabinet makers daughter).
The narrator also mentions the Imbe-wa jar that he is trying to buy. The jar may represent
home/hope. Every time he goes back the jar is more demolished. The jar is a traditional Japanese
craft-a simple primitive piece. Iris from the Japanese language translates into either victory or
death. The iris is also seen as a symbol of manhood, a symbol of masculinity power. Hiroshima
destroyed the city, but it also destroyed the culture. The atomic bomb had a transformative effect.