Representing and interpreting traumatic history: a study of visitor comment books at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

Representing and interpreting traumatic history plays a central role in promoting world peace. While significant research has examined the 1990s controversy over the proposed Enola Gay exhibition in the United States, no research has yet explored visitor reactions to the traumatic history interpreted by the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (HPMM). Questions regarding the messages communicated by the museum, emotive conflicts experienced by visitors, and the meanings that visitors glean from museum exhibits are worth further exploration in order to enhance the value of the HPMM to world peace promotion and to healing the wounds of war and prejudice. The exhibition narrative starts with the pre-1945 history of Hiroshima before exploring the bombing and its aftermath. Photographs and objects belonging to the victims graphically illustrate the effects of the atomic bomb (A-bomb) blast. The exhibition's core message is anti-nuclear and supportive of world peace. Entries in HPMM visitor comment books reflect upon war's cruelty and express wishes for its permanent end. For survivors, a visit to the museum evokes sad memories of an unforgettable day and its aftermath. Children's comments show that some featured photographs are excessively vivid and terrifying for younger visitors. Overseas visitors provided a wide range of responses, including guilt, reflections upon the war, and criticisms of their own or other governments. This study provides insights into the interpretive complex by discussing the content of visitor comment books and then reflects upon museum progress toward its stated aim – promotion of international harmony. Keywords: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museumvisitor comment booksatomic bombingtraumatic history and interpretationvisitor studies Acknowledgements I am very grateful to Mr. Hironobu Ochiba, Curator of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, who generously provided valuable information in the interview. Many thanks also to Ms. Chin-Ni Chiu and Mr. Yuji Kurihara for their help. Finally, I am grateful to Professor Richard Sandell and three anonymous referees' insightful comments on this study. Conclusions reached and any subsequent shortcomings are mine alone. Notes 1. The Enola Gay was the B-29 Superfortress bomber that dropped the 'Little Boy' U-238 A-bomb on Hiroshima. According to Luke (Citation2002), the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC planned in 1995 a temporary exhibition entitled 'The Crossroads: The End of World War II, the Atomic Bomb, and the Origins of the Cold War.' It was to display the Enola Gay alongside reflections on the bomb's impact on its Japanese victims and on world affairs ever since, including the cold war, nuclear terror, atomic tests and the dangers of the nuclear fuel cycle. To demonstrate the destructive power of the A-bomb, the museum also borrowed artifacts from the HPMM. This planned exhibition, however, provoked 'ideological battles in America's cultural wars' and was cancelled due to political pressure. For discussion of the controversy surrounding the exhibition, see Linenthal (Citation1995), Zolberg (Citation1996), and Wittner (Citation2005). 2. See the website of the HPMM. http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/frame/Virtual_e/visit_e/est.html 3. Author's interview with the HPMM Curator on 28 June 2011. 4. According to museum panels, the military importance of Hiroshima began in the late nineteenth century and was reinforced during the first Sino-Japanese War in 1894. The fifth division of the Japanese army and factories manufacturing military goods were based in Hiroshima during the World War II. The Allies chose it as the first target for atomic bombing not only because of its military importance but also because, among the four target cities (Hiroshima, Kokura, Niigata, and Nagasaki), it was the only one without an Allied prisoner-of-war camp. 5. Author's interview with the HPMM Curator on 28 June 2011. 6. The number of overseas visitor comments selected by the editorial board reflects the average percentage of overseas visitors to the museum. HPMM visitor data recorded 1,329,842 visitors in 2010, 13 per cent of whom were overseas visitors. In 2007, around 17 per cent of the total 1,393,400 visitors were overseas visitors. 7. The censorship, known as 'Press Code,' was imposed on 19 September by General Headquarters headed by the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, Douglas MacArthur (Saito Citation2006). 8. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibakusha