| Looking south over the Kyōbashi River to Sentei Park, a view from an aircraft captures Harimayacho district of Hiroshima (present-day Hondori district of Hiroshima’s Naka Ward). Hiroshima was made of wood and paper buildings that did not survive the shock wave or heat wave. Since the atomic attack occurred at breakfast time, many stoves were on, and were knocked over in the blast wave, adding to the fires. Everything burned unless they were reinforced concrete buildings, and even those suffered smashed exterior and interior damage. You can see the surviving buildings in this photo. From left, the Higashi Police Station, 4,000 feet (1,210 meters) from the hypocenter, where the functions of the Hiroshima Prefectural Government were temporarily relocated on August 7. Relief supplies were organized there. In the center foreground, 3,250 feet (1,000 meters) the blackened building is the Hiroshima central broadcasting branch of Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (NHK) Radio. It went dead at 0830 Hours on August 6, calling Osaka to warn of an air raid on Hiroshima. In the left center background, the Hiroshima branch of Obayashi Corporation, the hexagonally shaped building, became the Hondori branch of Yamaguchi Bank, and was demolished in 2002. Obayashi Construction was critical to the rebuilding of Hiroshima. In the right center background is the Chugoku Shimbun, 2,850 feet (870 meters) from the hypocenter; that newspaper lost all its printing presses and other equipment in the fires, and used a radio to call other printers to print an edition for the devastated city. Fukuya Department Store (Left is the new building, right is the old building.) 2,300 feet (710 meters) from the hypocenter, Fukuya had been taken over by the government for war work by 1945, as there wasn’t much consumer goods for sale. After the attack it was turned into a hospital. Rebuilt, the building is still in operation today. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1758.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.10 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 3389 x 2827 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Harry S. Truman Library and Museum |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | September 12, 1945 |
| Location | Harimayacho |
| City | Hiroshima |
| State or Province | Hiroshima |
| Country | Japan |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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