1 1 Visualizing the Past, Envisioning the Future: Atomic Bomb Memorials, Fukushima, And

1 Visualizing the Past, Envisioning the Future: Atomic Bomb Memorials, Fukushima, and the "Fourth Space" of Comparative Informatics Mara Miller Here I explore the purposes of the monuments and museums commemorating the atomic 2014 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, paying special attention to some of their religious 20–21, dimensions so as to disentangle the roles the monuments and religion have already played—and permission March continue to play—at these sites, especially regarding peace. While I had hoped to explore their noa, implications for commemorating the Triple Disasters of 3/11 and the impact the new information ā author's M at and communications technologies (ICTs) are having in the digital age, time is short, so I will the Future handle that by indicating directions for future study, hopefully in the anthology of papers from and Hawai‘i without of this conference. The structure here is: quote Present, I. Memorials: What do memorials do (succeed at doing) and what do we need them to do? not do Past, University II. Hiroshima and Nagasaki Memorials: Do the Atomic Bombing memorials differ from the and at other memorials, and if so how and why? paper Religions: III. Religion and Peace at the Atomic Bombing Memorials: How does religion currently this Studies of manifest itself in Atomic Bombing memorials? Japanese IV. Implications for 3/11: What are the lessons for Fukushima and 3/11 Disaster memorials? source and Buddhist in the V. Digital Memorials and the Fourth Place: What are the lessons for the Fourth Place? A warning: This paper is not a history of the Atomic Bombing memorials—most of the analysis Nonviolence, Conference acknowledge is based on what is found today, with reference to previous states and events as needed. And I’m using “religion” in a deliberately broad sense to include organized and folk religion and virtually Violence, Please Numata any set of shared beliefs, practices and positive values that connects living persons or 1 2 communities to a god or gods, spirits, or ancestors.1 Of course we need at times at Nagasaki and Hiroshima to distinguish among Shinto, Buddhist, Confucianist, Daoist, Shinto and perhaps other religions. But such distinctions are not a major aim of this paper and will be made only when needed for a particular claim or piece of evidence. 2014 I. Monuments and Memorials Throughout History What is it we want and need from memorials to major disasters? For centuries, memorials 20–21, 1) honored important events and men,2 especially victorious military leaders, 2) and were also permission March expected to inspire citizens for future sacrifices on behalf of the nation, typically using statues of noa, ā author's M the heroes and inscriptions. After WWI, they took on the additional double funerary mission of at the 3) consolation for survivors and 4) commemoration—of all of the fallen members of the Future and Hawai‘i without military—including not just a) victorious leaders but b) foot soldiers. Beyond this, in view of the of seemingly unprecedented carnage of the First World War, they faced the task of 5) helping the quote Present, not living come to terms with the dead—with their collective and diffuse responsibility for the do Past, University deaths in war and with their own continued existence at the expense of the fallen, as at Clivedon the and at (at Taplow, Buckinghamshire, England) paper Religions: this Studies (http://en.tracesofwar.com/article/3819/Commonwealth-War-Cemetery-Cliveden.htm, of http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/36350/Cliveden%20War%20Cemetery). Japanese source and Buddhist II. Post-World War II: The Holocaust and Hiroshima and Nagasaki: in the Since World War II, memorials have taken on five additional functions that do not replace the Nonviolence, WWI functions, but supplement them. These are: 6) commemoration of non-combatants, as at Conference acknowledge Auschwitz; Violence, Please Numata 2 2014 War Memorialandtheatomicbombingmemorials. not onlyone’sowndeadcompatriotsbutinsomecasesthoseofothernations,asattheKorean inmorefar-reachingandambitiousways 7) constructingcollectivememory 2005. Photobytheauthor. Students withHolocaustsurvivorsatAuschwitzMarchoftheLiving( 20–21, permission March noa, ā author's M at the Future and Hawai‘i without of quote Present, not do Past, University the and at paper Religions: this Studies of Japanese source and Buddhist in the http://motl.org/ ; 8) commemorating Nonviolence, Conference acknowledge Violence, Please Numata ), 3 3 2014 http://www.unframedworld.com/journal/nagasaki-clocks- memorials andmuseums,seeAndrewMarston, photographs ofNagasaki’s and ifso,howwhy?(Forincrediblybeautifulevocative Korean WarMemorial,Washington,D.C. This leadstothequestion Photo bytheauthor. 20–21, permission March noa, ā author's M : at the Do atomicBombingmemorialsdifferfromothermemorials, Future and Hawai‘i without of quote Present, not do Past, University the and Touring Nagasaki at paper Religions: this Studies in of -atomic-bomb-museum/.) Japanese source and , February27,2011,at Buddhist in the Nonviolence, Conference acknowledge Violence, Please Numata 4 4 2014 Atomic BombingmemorialssharewithHolocaust Hiroshima: A-BombDome,theruinsofformerIndustrialPromotionHall. Photo byMasayaIwasaki,publishedpermission. museums, archives,andspecialexhibits, the addition of post-WWII objectives:9)educationanddisseminationofinformation,requiring 20–21, permission March noa, ā author's M at the Future and Hawai‘i without of quote Present, not do Past, University the and at paper Religions: this Studies of Japanese source and Buddhist 3 in the thelasttwoofourfive Nonviolence, Conference acknowledge Violence, Please Numata 5 5 2014 players andstakeholders—informationthatwas not typicallyneededforpriorwarmemorials. mark notonlyevents,butcausesandmotivations, withmuchmorecomplexunderstandingofthe knowledge aswellinformation.Soaresultofthislatterobjective,theirmemorialsmust providing kinds ofinformationtobeprovided,andhasnecessitatedtheprogression the future.Thedeterminationtopreventsimilareventsinfuturehaschangednatureof through oursharedconvictionthat“knowledgeispower,”andbothhaveastrongorientationto and 10)preventingsimilareventsinthefuture.Thesetwofinalobjectivesareinterrelated Display explainingproceduresandhonoringvictimsatAuschwitz.Photobytheauthor. 20–21, permission March noa, ā author's M at the Future and Hawai‘i without of quote Present, not do Past, University the and at paper Religions: this Studies of Japanese source and Buddhist in the Nonviolence, Conference acknowledge Violence, Please Numata 6 6 2014 relationships areofsevenkinds: a) amongordinarypeople:families,residents,etc.ofthekind studiedamongmuseum- and zoo-goersbyJohnFalkLynnDeering, under-recognized: 12)tostrengthen,create,redefine, and/orchangehumanrelationships.These question, theyaddressthose Finally, complexmemorialsliketheseplayafurtherrolethat isequallyimportantbut Inaskingthiscrucial importantly 11)theyraisethequestion:Howcould thishavehappened? Holocaust andatomicbombingmemorialstakeuptwoadditionalfinalmissions.Most memorials, most memorials,becausebeyondthefivenewobjectivesadoptedbypost-WWII Hiroshima PeaceMemorialPark. The educationmissionsoftheHolocaustandatomicbombingsitesdifferfromthose Photo byMasayaIwasaki,publishedpermission. 20–21, permission March noa, ā author's M at the Future and Hawai‘i without outside of quote the immediate events—society atlarge. theimmediateevents—society Present, not do Past, University the and at paper Religions: this Studies of Japanese source and Buddhist in the Nonviolence, Conference acknowledge Violence, Please Numata 7 7 2014 For mostwarsend;radiation doesn’t,atleastwithinhumanlifespans. uncertainty thataccompaniedtheeventsaswell as theaftermathofeffectstheirradiation. crisesof museums mustacknowledgeboththeimmediate andtheongoing(open-ended) and thereforecomprisesoneofthetwoforms genocide. Atomicbombingmemorialsand the wholeplaceanditsenvironmentamountsto the destructionofacultureaswellpeople, memorial-building takesplacewithinacontextof rebuildingtheentireenvironment.Thelossof resonate withloss.Thisresonatesthe3/11Disasters(andafewothers),ofcourse.Thus, is nothingthatdoes not memorials. First,thewholecityisevidenceofdestruction;there There areanumberofsignificantdifferencesbetweentheatomicbombingmemorialsandother Differences between theAtomicBombingandotherMemorials which weshallreturn. to fostering theserelationshipsisataskoftencarriedoutbyceremoniesandreligiousritual, interpreted, andanalyzedinreligiousterms;indeed,religionpermeatessuchsites.Furthermore, In ordinarylife(outsidethecontextofmemorials),suchrelationshipsareoftenconstructed, important g) betweenpeopleandtheenvironment(bothnaturalbuilt)—especially when neighborhoodsandwholecitieshavebeendestroyed. bombings.html), e) amongsurvivorswhosharedtheexperience, 2183737/Harry-Trumans-grandson-visits-Hiroshima-memorial-honour-200-000-victims-atomic- (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article- d) sometimesbetweenadversaries c) betweenthosewhorememberfirsthandandsubsequentgenerations, b) betweenthelivinganddead, 20–21, permission f) sometimes bet people who were not directly affected and thosewhowere, f) sometimesbetpeoplewhowerenotdirectlyaffected March noa, ā author's M at the Future and Hawai‘i without of quote Present, not do Past, University the and at paper Religions: this Studies of Japanese source and Buddhist in 4 the Nonviolence, Conference acknowledge Violence, Please Numata 8 8 2014 audio/sgi-activities/hiroshima-nagasaki-peace-activities.html Statue

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