WHEN the US army dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima during WW2, not only was the regional capital completely devastated but as many as 140,000 people were killed. It was the first nuclear attack on a city and marked a shocking new development in the history of warfare.
The paintings should be appreciated not simply as beautiful objects, but for the lessons they contain about the wonderful resilience of the human spirit
Amongst those killed were 300 pupils of the Methodists’ Girls High School. Decimated in the blast, the school amazingly reopened just three months later in a different location; with Dr Takuo Matsumoto, the school’s principal, being one of five teachers to teach 100 surviving students. A phoenix from the flames, it’s believed to be the first to resume teaching in Hiroshima after the bombing.
So began the story of the Hiroshima Collection, an inspiring set of artworks created by students at the school around a decade later that demonstrate the incredible power of human resilience. Currently in Manchester, the collection is soon to be returned to its native homeland thanks to the perseverance of its custodian Michael Stevenson.
Taken first to the US, the paintings were originally exhibited at a conference hosted by UNESCO, which was formed post-war to find new ways to build peace and sustainable development - one being the exchange of art works produced by children in different countries.
It is thought the collection was then gifted by Dr Matsumoto to English art teacher Prue Wallis-Mye, hence its journey to Manchester and role as an educational art tool under Stevenson. As well as being exhibited at a conferences and training events throughout the North West, it was also displayed last year at the House of Lords and London’s Diawa Centre to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the atomic bomb.
Despite their value, Stevenson has always been passionate about returning the artworks to their rightful home and it was finally agreed during the Mayor of Hiroshima’s 2015 civic visit that they be taken home.
Toshiko Tsukamoto
This week, Lord Mayor of Manchester Carl Austin-Behan met with the custodian to congratulate him on his successful project to return the collection to Japan. Austin-Behan said: "Manchester has cooperated with Hiroshima for many years through the Mayors for Peace organisation. These pictures have a truly fascinating history and their return is another example of the close links between our cities.
"Despite being created by pupils who experienced such horror the images portrayed are remarkably positive. For decades the Hiroshima collection has managed to inspire hundreds of teachers and students across the North West of England with their message of harmony and co-operation. I’m delighted they can now be returned to their original home as a tribute to the artists who created them along with our message of thanks, appreciation and friendship."
Michael Stevenson said: “This is the end of almost five years of work for me. As the custodian of this collection for many decades I became convinced that the paintings should be returned to Japan where they will be preserved with the care shown by Prue and myself during the years we have been responsible for them.
"I believe that the paintings should be appreciated not simply as beautiful objects, but for the lessons they contain about the wonderful resilience of the human spirit expressed in art by young people. For that reason they deserve to be conserved for future generations to appreciate, and Hiroshima is the right place for that to happen, since that is where they were made.”
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