Key Facts
• Miyako Ishiuchi, 78, has visited Hiroshima for nearly 20 years.
• Focuses on ‘Hiroshima’ through personal encounters, not traditional narratives.
• In May 2025, photographed a 3-year-old boy’s blood-stained jacket from 1945.
• The jacket belonged to Shoji Kubo, who lived 1.3 km from the blast center.
• Kubo’s brother preserved the jacket and donated it in 2022.
• Ishiuchi first visited Hiroshima in 2007 for a commissioned photo book.
• Initially reluctant, she was inspired by the vivid colors of artifacts.
• Her 2008 photo book ‘Hiroshima’ marked the start of an ongoing series.
• Ishiuchi won the Hasselblad International Photography Award, a prestigious honor.
• She believes the post-war period is not over, as new artifacts are still donated.
• Despite health setbacks in 2023–2024, she resumed her work in 2025.
• Ishiuchi emphasizes that the artifacts are not just historical but remain relevant today.
Summary
Photographer Miyako Ishiuchi has spent nearly two decades documenting Hiroshima’s atomic bomb artifacts, focusing on personal stories rather than traditional narratives. Her work began in 2007, initially as a reluctant project, but evolved into a long-term series after encountering vivid, preserved relics. In May 2025, she photographed a blood-stained jacket of a 3-year-old boy, Shoji Kubo, who perished in the 1945 bombing. The jacket, donated by Kubo’s brother in 2022, symbolizes the enduring impact of the tragedy. Ishiuchi, the first Asian woman to win the Hasselblad International Photography Award, believes the post-war period is ongoing, as new artifacts continue to surface. Despite health challenges, she resumed her work in 2025, emphasizing that these relics are not just historical objects but living connections to the past.
