Date of Completion

2022

Document Type

Honors College Thesis

Department

Japanese (Asian Languages)

Thesis Type

Honors College, College of Arts and Science Honors

First Advisor

Kyle Ikeda

Second Advisor

Erik Esselstrom

Keywords

Japan, memory, World War II, atomic bomb, comic book, graphic novel

Abstract

This thesis examines how memories of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, are depicted and explored through the works of two Japanese manga (graphic novel) artists, Nakazawa Keiji and Kōno Fumiyo. Nakazawa’s Barefoot Gen series is one of the most well-known artistic depictions of the atomic bombing and two of Kōno’s works, Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms and In This Corner of the World, address the bombing and its multigenerational impacts. Nakazawa’s status as a first-generation survivor of the bombing is compared with Kōno’s experience as a later-generation resident of Hiroshima to analyze how memories of the attack have evolved over time and across generations, and how they are represented in popular media. Given the accessibility of works such as these, as well as their lasting reputation and legacy, examining how they convey and even transfer memories of this uniquely traumatic moment in the 20th century will develop a better understanding of how the atomic bombing is collectively remembered.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Download

Share

COinS