The Delta of Hiroshima
On the Publication of the English Translation of “Delta of Hiroshima (Delta no Ki)”, a memoir of the tragedy by the A-bombing of Hiroshima
The following is a memoir of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima written by OKADA Haru, a sculptress and sufferer, titled “Delta of Hiroshima (Delta no Ki in Japanese)”.
The memoir was carried in two parts by the bimonthly family-life magazine “Kurashi-no-Techo” in August and October in 1991, the 46th year of the bombing over Hiroshima (No.3-33 and No.3-34). When it was published, Ms. OKADA was already diseased. But her friends in the group, “Association for the Preservation of Documents of Hiroshima Literature” found the manuscript in her wicker basket and approached to the magazine editors. You can find more details in the abstract of the foreword of the magazine’s editors, which is annexed at the end of this translation.
The English translation of the memoir was performed by MUKO Takao. In spite of his advanced age he completed the work with his meticulous care and let us publish it on our website. We are deeply grateful to him for that. His translator’s notes and personal history are set out at the end of the “Delta of Hiroshima”.
Our thanks also go to MOROI Yuichi, OKAMOTO Makiko and ASATO Rieko, who are all active in the fields of university education, business, interpretation and translation, for contributing their time and energy to the proof reading of the translation. All work, from translation to proof-reading, was performed pro bono. Once again, we would like to thank everyone involved.
We also thank the editors of “Kurshi-no-Techo” magazine for willingly allowing us to publish the English translation of the “Delta of Hiroshima” on our website.
When the original “Delta of Hiroshima” was published in August 1991, the editor wrote in the foreword, “The world powers are still enchanted by nuclear weapons… That is why we cannot be insensitive to that day in Hiroshima and to the aspirations of Hiroshima, which the city has consistently appealed to since the end of the war.” We hope that this memoir will reach the hearts of many of you and help achieve the swift elimination of nuclear weapons.
Hiroshi Taka, volunteer staff of Gensuikyo