The Hidden Hibakusha - A-bomb survivors

“The atomic bomb has deadened the finest feelings which have sustained mankind for ages. There used to be so-called laws of war which made it tolerable. Now we understand the naked truth. War knows no law except that of might. The atomic bomb brought an empty victory to the Allied armies. It has resulted for the time being in the soul of Japan being destroyed. What has happened to the soul of the destroying nation is yet too early to see. Truth needs to be repeated as long as there are men who do not believe it."

--- Mahatma Ghandi

The photographs represents the beginning of a long term project, a commitment to travel Japan and document the untold stories of the Hibaksuka’s effort to regain a normal life. Through my work with these hidden Hibaksuka I have come to understand that these silent survivors are the largest group. For more than 60 years, they have suffered without speaking, and are only now beginning to understand their own need to remember and to share the horror they have kept hidden deep inside. They are the survivors whose stories remain untold.

It is important to tell the stories of the hidden Hibakuska as soon as possible, to give them back their voice. We need to hear their stories as much as they need to tell them.