TETSUTANI Shinichi

At the time of the nuclear bombing, Shinichi was riding his tricycle in front of his house, around 1.5 kilometres from the hypocentre.

He suffered major injuries, including burns that covered his body, and died that night. His father, Nobuo, recalled his cries for water before he took his last breath.

He buried his son’s body, along with the burnt tricycle, in the garden of the house and placed a statuette of the Jizo (a Buddhist patron for children) on the site. It became his ritual each morning to light incense there and pray.

“This should never happen to children,” Nobuo said. “Please work to create a peaceful world where children can play to their heart’s content.”

Shinichi’s elder sister, Michiko (7 years of age), and his younger sister, Yoko (1 year of age), were also killed in the attack.

Shinichi’s tricycle, which Nobuo exhumed after 40 years, is now on display at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and an artwork based on the tricycle is on display at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva.

Shin’s Tricycle, a popular children’s book written by Kodama Tatsuharu, is based on Shinichi’s life.