A-bombed Deshio Army Clothing Depot Buildings — Attraction in Hiroshima

These Deshio Warehouse buildings have a long history reaching back before the A-bombing in Hiroshima as they were built more than 100 years ago of Reinforced Concrete on the inside and Red Brick on the outside.

During World War II the buildings were used by the Army to store, repair and clean Army uniforms by mobilized students and international laborers. There were more than 2,000 people working here at its busiest. A prominent campaigner to preserve these buildings, Mr.Iwao Nakanishi, was one of the mobilized students here when Hiroshima was attacked with an Atomic bomb on August 6th, 1945 and credits the strong building with saving his life. You can see the warped metal window shutters on the building when you visit now, a sign of the power of the blast even here 2.7 kilometers from the hypocenter of the blast.

Of course, the buildings should be preserved as they represent Hiroshima's heritage of over 100 years, there are no other significant structures in the city as old and as unique and yes beautiful.

As of January 2020, plans to destroy the buildings have been stalled and there is a chance to save these buildings. The concern is that they are not safe in the case of an earthquake level 6 or higher, however, few buildings in Japan are. As they offer such unique appeal to Hiroshima, a powerful place to walk around to take in the building from the outside, if money was invested in reinforcing the structures and creating public spaces next to and inside the buildings, it would be a great asset to Hiroshima locals as well as domestic and international visitors.

This is a place you need to visit for yourself if you are in Hiroshima and interested in its heritage...

A collection of several old warehouses clearly warped and damaged by the blast. I understand having such a large amount of dilated buildings is an earthquake risk, but I hope they will at least preserve one or more of those buildings/have a small museum or memorial signage for future generations, as there aren't really anymore A-bomb buildings left...

広島に投下された原子爆弾から奇跡的に生き残った建物は3つ現存しています。原爆ドーム、旧·広島大学理学部棟、そして旧·広島陸軍被服支廠です。これらの中で、唯一、手で触れる事ができます。 この建物を間近に見て、戦慄を覚えました。原爆ドームは世界遺産に登録され、観光客も多く知名度は圧倒的に上です。誤解がないように言えば、原爆ドームは何かショウアップされていて、観光客向けのように感じます。しかし、この支廠は物言わぬ遺跡です。原爆の爆風で反り返った鉄扉が何かを語りかけているように思えました。決して現代人に「原爆レンガ倉庫」とは呼ばせない、畏怖の念を抱きました。

支廠北側にモニターが設置されていて、映像で内部をうかがい知ることができます。この映像も非常にリアルで、特に昇り階段が設置されているシーンは息を飲んでしまいました。 この戦争遺跡を後世に残していかなければいけない、そして原爆ドームだけではない事を伝えていきたいと思いました。

最後にこの支廠周辺には住宅がたくさんあります。原爆ドーム周辺とは違い、見学者や観光客ウェルカムではありません。当方、写真を撮るために月極駐車場に入ったところ、私有地であることに気付かず注意を受けてしまいまし...