Remembering Hiroshima: The Powerful Message of 'Barefoot Gen' Manga

Remembering Hiroshima: The Powerful Message of 'Barefoot Gen' Manga

On August 6, 1945, the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

There are numerous movies, novels, and other works that depict Hiroshima on August 6, but the one that stands out most vividly in my memory is the manga "Barefoot Gen." If you haven't come across it yet, I strongly recommend giving it a read.

Based on the real-life experiences of author Keiji Nakazawa, a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, it is a remarkable work that delivers a powerful message about the horror of nuclear weapons and the significance of peace.

What sets this manga apart is its unflinching portrayal of the tragic reality of Nakazawa's own experience with the atomic bombing, which serves as the central theme of the work. The manga depicts in detail the horrors, fear, and cruelty of the bombing, including the burns, skin decay, and infestation of the body by insects that the people of Hiroshima endured as a consequence. It also doesn't shy away from addressing the health consequences caused by radiation, effectively expressing the terrifying realities faced by the victims of the atomic bomb through Nakazawa's skillful storytelling.

While Nakazawa's bold expressions have faced various objections, he maintains, "If I don't depict the true horror of the atomic bombing, then there is no point. Ignorance is truly a terrible thing. I must convey the horror of the atomic bombing to children." Driven by this strong belief, he continued to create his works.

These powerful message-driven works were published weekly in shƍnen manga magazines, which were targeted at children at that time. Despite the controversial subject matter, Nakazawa's works received high acclaim and were utilized as educational materials for peace education in Japanese elementary schools and other educational institutions, making them accessible to children in school libraries and gaining popularity among young readers.

The shƍnen manga magazine where Nakazawa's serialized works were published later became known as the magazine that featured internationally popular Japanese manga works like "Dragon Ball," "One Piece," "Naruto," and "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure."

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the serialization of "Barefoot Gen," which depicted the devastating aftermath of the Hiroshima atomic bombing. This work has been translated into numerous languages worldwide and can be read beyond Japan's borders. If you haven't had a chance to read it yet, I strongly encourage you to do so.

Our brand name, "Heiwa", means peace in Japanese. We sincerely hope that such a tragedy will never occur again, and we strive to promote peace in our daily lives.

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How did the slipper become so common in Japan? | What is Heiwa Slipper?

What is Heiwa Slipper?

In the beginning, Japanese slippers

Thank you for visiting our website. We are an online slipper store located in Japan and very excited to introduce you our various collections of the slippers.

But first, let me explain what we call “slipper” in Japan. Most of the time, in Western countries, “slipper” means “a semi-closed type of shoe, consisting of a sole held to the wearer’s foot by a strap running over (or between) the toes or instep (Reference: Wikipedia)”. They are wearable shoes for outside, most of the time, and sometimes inside as well for comfort. On the other hand, in Japan, when we say “slipper”, we think flat, in-house footwear item, and that is the kind we would like to spread to the world.

As you may know, it is our common practice to take our shoes off when we go in the house to keep the floor clean. Then why do we wear slippers in the house? How did the slipper become so common in Japan?

How did the slipper become so common in Japan?

It is said that the origin of slipper firstly appeared in Japan in the beginning of Meiji era (1968-1912), which was the time Japan was opening its country to the world and having more people visited from outside, especially from Western countries. However, those visitors of course walked straight into the houses or hotel rooms without taking their shoes off. Japanese people worried that the floor would eventually get dirty and the tatami would be damaged. Slipper was devised to deal with those problems and to welcome people who came from different cultural background.

 

Our theme is “Return of Japanese Slippers”

Ever since then, slipper has become common/daily use item all over Japan. However, unfortunately, we barely find slippers made in Japan these days. A lot of them are industrially mass-produced in other countries at lower wages, and sold at a cheap price here. Our theme is “Return of Japanese Slippers”.

We believe slipper can be a bridge to the peace (= “Heiwa”)

Here, we will introduce slippers made with the spirits of Japanese hospitality. We would like to also introduce some slippers made in other countries, in which we try our best to achieve the fair-trade upon importing them. “Benefits for all three sides, for the customer, society, and the vendor” is what we are aiming for.

We believe slipper can be a bridge to the peace (= “Heiwa”).

- Heiwa Slipper