Soul Lanterns
By Shaw Kuzki, Translated by Emily Balistrieri (Delacorte Press)
- Fiction
- Set in Japan
Keywords: translation, war, Hiroshima, grief, family, death
Twelve-year-old Nozomi lives in the Japanese city of Hiroshima. She wasn’t even born when the bombing of Hiroshima took place. Every year Nozomi joins her family at the lantern-floating ceremony to honor those lost in the bombing. People write the names of their deceased loved ones along with messages of peace, on paper lanterns and set them afloat on the river. This year Nozomi realizes that her mother always releases one lantern with no name. She begins to ask questions, and when complicated stories of loss and loneliness unfold, Nozomi and her friends come up with a creative way to share their loved ones’ experiences. By opening people’s eyes to the struggles they all keep hidden, the project teaches the entire community new ways to show compassion.
Soul Lanterns is an honest exploration of what happened on August 6, 1945, and offers readers a glimpse not only into the rich cultural history of Japan but also into the intimate lives of those who recognize–better than most–the urgent need for peace.
Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima, 1945
In the final phase of the Pacific War (the theater of war fought in Asia during World War II), the U.S. and Allied forces prepared to invade Japan. American forces assaulted the island of Okinawa on April 1, 1945. The Battle of Okinawa was one of the bloodiest of the war: 50,000 U.S. soldiers and well over 120,000 Japanese soldiers and civilians died during three months of intense fighting, ending in victory by the American forces. This gave them control of a strategic location relatively close to the main islands of Japan, from which they could launch an invasion. During the same period, Americans continued bombing major cities in Japan. The bombing of Tokyo on March 9 and 10 killed at least 100,000 and left one million homeless.
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and three days later on Nagasaki. The bombings hastened the unconditional surrender of Japan. After the emperor announced the surrender on August 15, the papers were signed on September 2, 1945, on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima detonated 600 meters above the city center. Intense heat instantly vaporized any living things around ground zero. Those who did not die instantly suffered from severe burns and radiation poisoning, and most died within a few days. The effects of radiation (leukemia, for example) lingered on, claiming the lives of thousands more. Today, more than 20,000 survivors are believed to be still alive. Any remaining radiation from the A-bomb now is undetectable; it is at the same level as the normal background radiation measured anywhere. There is no residual radioactivity in Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
Tōrōnagashi
Tōrōnagashi, “setting lanterns afloat,” is a tradition in some parts of Japan practiced on special occasions or during the August bonfestival. In the case of Hiroshima, tōrōnagashi is a new tradition created a few years after the atomic bombing to commemorate the souls of the deceased. Small lanterns are floated down the Motoyasu River that runs by the Genbaku Dome. Many of these carry a message to the deceased or a message of peace.
The Genbaku Dome
The Genbaku Dome is the former Hiroshima Prefecture Industrial Promotion Hall. The large domed structure has been preserved to show how it appeared days after the bombing. It is the main symbol of the bombing, located in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
Author: Hiroshi Nara, emeritus professor, University of Pittsburgh
2025