“Near 100,000 dead.” “Atomic Bomb turns Hiroshima into a Wasteland.” “U.S Attack Destroys Everything.” These are just a few of the media headlines a Japanese citizen would have seen in the month of August in 1945. On August 6th, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and killed around 100,000 people and left the city in ruins. This was the first time a nuclear weapon was used used in war. The uncomparable deaths and destruction were not only caused by the impact of the bomb, but the radiation that was released in the following days. Japanese author, Masuji Ibuse, wrote the book Black Rain to depict the effects of Hiroshima. Ibuse takes readers into the lives of families who survived the bombing, but had to deal with the radiation and destruction. He makes the events more understandable by providing journal entries so the reader can experience the tragedy in the eyes of someone who is …show more content…
They sat by the rock and realized it was a part of Mr. Omuro’s garden. Ibuse explains how the Omuro’s were an old family who was now headed by Mr. Omuro, a chemical researcher. Shigematsu explained how he has been over the Omuro’s many times before and it is a beautiful place with a beautiful garden before the attack. The description of how beautiful it was before and then giving a vivid description of the ruins shows that he feels devastated of the effects. Part of the rock was burnt away as it was covered in moss before the explosion. This explains how the radiation affected the people and the surroundings. The survivors are looking at the rock thinking that if the radiation can burn away a rock this sturdy, the people must have been decimated. Ibuse describes this scene by writing, “It was a scene of cruel desolation” (Ibuse 103). That simple sentence can sum up what every single survivor thought of the aftermath of the