Listen! The leader of the country of the whole world!
平和への誓い 2012.8.9 @長崎原爆犠牲者慰霊平和祈念式典
被爆者代表の「平和への誓い」 長崎原爆の日
６７年前の今日、この浦上の上空に原子爆弾が投下され、数千度の熱線、強烈な爆風、想像を絶する放射線を浴びせられ、一瞬にして市街地は廃虚と化し、無防備の市民十数万人が死傷したあの凄惨（せいさん）な光景が昨日の出来事のように鮮明によみがえり、この胸が締め付けられる思いです。
私は当時１５歳、自宅は原爆投下地点から約７００メートル西の城山町にあり、当日は、３キロ南の三菱電機の地下工場で軍需品の生産に従事しておりました。何の前触れもなく停電し、トンネル内が真っ暗になり、一呼吸して、「ドーン」と強烈な爆風でその場に吹き倒されました。気がつくと入り口の方が騒然として外の工場、事務所にいた人たちがなだれ込んでおりました。「工場は全滅だー」と殺気立った声で叫んでいました。懐中電灯で照らすとほとんどの人が負傷しており、手の施しようがありませんでした。
しばらくして、友人と２人で工場を出て城山の自宅へ向かいました。港の対岸にある県庁庁舎が延焼中で、工場前の海岸通りは負傷者が助けを求めて右往左往しておりました。旭町の住宅街は火災中で通れず、山越えしようと稲佐山へ向かいました。３合目くらいに入りましたが、木は倒れ、あちこちに煙が立ち込め、陰を求めて負傷者が１０人、２０人とたむろしており、息絶えた子どもを抱きしめてうなだれている母親、遺体に寄り添って泣きじゃくる子ども、「水をくれー」と叫ぶ声、市街地を見下ろすと、見渡す限り街は廃虚と化し、煙の中には大型鉄筋の残骸が突き出していました。淵（ふち）神社に出て梁川橋まで煙の中を一気に走り、やっとの思いで抜け出しました。橋の上には人、馬の黒焦げた遺体が散乱し、遺体の中には口から内臓が飛び出しているものもありました。三菱製鋼の工場はアメのように曲がり、工場の中から必死に助けを求める悲鳴が聞こえてきましたが、どうすることも出来なかったので浦上川へ下りました。川の中には焼け焦げた人など無数の負傷者が水を求めて折り重なるように倒れており、足の踏み場もないくらいで、流れている遺体もありました。上流へ急ぎましたが次の竹岩橋が真ん中から折れて川に落ちており、その隙間を抜けて城山の石段を上り、道に出たところ、近くの三菱製鋼の鉄くずの置き場の山ほど積んでいた鉄くずが真っ赤に焼けて、まるで溶鉱炉のようになっておりました。これでは人間はひとたまりもないと思いました。
赤茶けた畑の中を我が家へ急ぎました。家は跡形もなく、近くに母と弟の黒焦げた遺体が並べてありました。父が大やけどを負いながらも先に帰って重傷を負った妹２人、弟１人を防空壕（ごう）に寝かせていました。口も利けず、目も見えず、水も飲めず苦しさにうめくのが哀れで早く楽になれればいいと思いました。夜になっても周囲の山々が赤々と燃えていました。散らばっている木片を集めて母と弟の遺体を火葬しました。肉親の行く方も知れず亡くなった多くの人々のことを思えば、親、兄弟の最後を見届けることができたことで悲しみの中にも救われた思いになりました。妹２人、弟１人は５日後に息を引きとりました。
戦争がなければ、核兵器がなければこの悲劇は起こらなかった。いかなる国の核兵器も廃絶し、戦争のない平和な社会を目指して命の限り訴え続けることをお誓い申しあげ、１５万余の犠牲者の霊のご冥福をお祈りいたしますと共に、今日もなお後遺症に苦しんでおられます方々の一日も早いご快復を祈念いたしまして平和への誓いといたします。
平成２４年８月９日
被爆者代表 中島正徳
OCR変換の為、誤字・脱字はお許し下さい。
Pledge for Peace
Today.67 years ago. an atomic bomb exploded in the sky above urakami. Heat rays measuring at thousands of degrees. an intense blast， and an unimaginable amount of radiation destroyed the city in an instant. I can still recan as if it was yesterday the gruesome sight of thousands of dead or injured defenseless people on that day，and the memory stin pains me even now.
I was 15 years old that day. My house was located 700 meters to the west of the bomb's hypocenter in Shiroyama-machi. At the time I worked producing munitions at the Mitsubishi Electric Company's basement factory located 3 kilometers to the south of the hypocenter. Without any warning， the power went out and it became pitch black inside the tunnel. After a short pause I was blown down by the large boom caused by an intense blast. When I came to， people that had been in the outside factory and administration office were crowded around the entrance yelling out “the factory is completely destroyed!¨and making a big commotion. When I shined my nashlight on them mostly all of them had series injuries. Nothing could be done to help them.
After some time， I 1eft the factory along with my friend and headed for my home in Shiroyama-machi.The Prefectural Office on the opposite shore of the port was on fire. lnjured people were calling out for help moving about in confusion by the waterfront in front of the factory. I wasn't able to go through the residential area in Asahi-machi because it was on fire. so I decided to head to Mt. Inasa and cross over the mountain. I was one third of the way up the mountain. There were filen trees. Everything was enshrouded in smoke. Around 10 or 20 injured people were huddled together looking for shade. I saw a slumped-over mother holding her dead child and children sobbing nearby dead bodies. I heard voices calling out for water. When I looked over the city it was completely destroyed， and a large scale reinforced steel bar was sticking out among the smoke.
I ran as hard as I could from Fuchi Shrine and finally made it to the Yanagawa Bridge. When I got there I saw charred people and horses scattered about on thebridge.Among the dead was a person whose internal organs had been pushed out through their mouth. The Mitsubishi Steel Factory was completely melted out of shape. I heard screams calling out for help from inside the factory， but because there was nothing I could do I continued on to the urakami River.
When I got to the river it was full of people who sufered burns and other injuries and had collapsed on top of each other in search of water. There were so many dead people that it was almost as if there was no place to step. I hurried upstream. I passed by the Takeiwa Bridge. whose middle section had fallen into the river， and climbed the stone steps in Shiroyama. When I got back to the road. scrap metal.in the nearby Mitsubishi Steel Scrap Metal Depot had been burned red-hot and looked as it had tumed into a blast furnace. I felt that no human would stand a chance under these circumstances.
I hurried towards my house among the smoldering fields. However when I arrived there， there was no trace left of it. Nearby the charred remains of my mother and younger brother had been placed side by side. My father， despite suSring many burns， had arrived home first. He took my two older sisters and other younger brother， all of whom had been greatly injured， to the air raid shelter. They couldnlt speak， or see. or drink water…In sorrow I just wanted their pain and sufering to stop. The surrounding mountains burned bright red throughout the night. I collected scattered pieces of wood and cremated the bodies of my mother and younger brother. Considermg all those people who passed away without knowing where their relatives were， I felt some comfort m bemg able to say goodbye to mine. Five days later my two older sisters and voun2er brother took their last breaths.
lf lhere9rere no wars. no nudear weapons， this tragedy would not have happened. l pledge as long as l live to continue to call for a peaceful world where all countries have abolished nuclear weapons and war. l would like to send my condolences once again to the over 150,000 victims of the atomic bombing and pray for the speedy recovery of those still suffering today from the allerellecls.
Masanori Nakashima
Atomic Bomb Survivor Representative
August 9. 2012
