Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard: Overcoming Pain through Art and Friendship
- papaassociation
- Aug 6
- 2 min read
Updated: 2 hours ago
Marking the 80th Anniversary of the dropping of the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, MPT and PBS are broadcasting accross the nation this important documentary produced by Shizumi Shigeto Manale and directed by Bryan Reichhardt. It's a gripping story of the resilience of children and their ability to overcome suffering with expressions of friendships towards those who inflicted such pain.
The documentary draws lessons from the colorful pictures made by Honkawa school children who had survived the bombing of Hiroshima. The children had received a half-ton of art supplies from All Souls Unitarian Church in Maryland in 1947 after the pastor of the church was horrified by US newspaper reports glorifying the bombing and felt he had to do something to extend hands of friendship to those victims. The drawings were sent back by the Hiroshima children to the church as an expression of friendship and gratitude for the gift of the art supplies.
The 2010 film, “Pictures of a Hiroshima Schoolyard,” completed the circle of friendship by telling the story of the artists (who are now in their 80’s) reflecting on what inspired them to draw beautiful and joyous pictures that did not reflect the devastation of their surroundings. The producer of the film, Shizumi Manale, commented that when she saw the drawings on August 9, 2006, when she visited the church with three Hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors), “I was stunned and speechless by the miracle of the pictures themselves, but also by the story behind them. These pictures were not drawings on paper, but rather, they showed what was in the hearts of 48 children who had suffered an unspeakable experience.”
“They represented the human capacity for reconciliation.”
You can also watch the documentary for free using this link through February 2, 2026.
The MPT and PBS broadcasts were made possible by generous donations from, among many, the Panamerican-Panafrican Association, the PanAsian Association, under the leadership of Seijyu Kahou.