Miyoko was 13. She was exposed to the bomb at her building demolition site 500 meters from the hypocenter. When she didn't come home, her mother, Tomiko, went into the city to look for her. She searched day after day but was never able to find a trace. Finally, in October, she found, under a melted bottle, this wooden sandal with the clear imprint of a foot. She knew it was Miyoko's because Tomiko had made the straps herself from an old kimono. Miyoko had been working with 543 classmates led by 8 teachers. At such close distance, all were struck by the powerful heat rays and blast. Nearly all died instantly. Those who managed to escape immediate death were swallowed by the fire that followed. None survived.

Miyoko Sawada was 15 when she was exposed to the bomb at her demolition work site500 meters from the hypocenter. Her parents and relatives scoured the city but neverfound her. Toward the end of August, a radio broadcast asked parents to go to theirchildren's schools to retrieve their remains or belongings. Miyoko's father Sizuma wentto school and found that unidentified pieces of bone were wrapped one or two each inpieces of calligraphy paper and placed in a wooden box. He had seen some of theterribly burned students, so he was not surprised that many had remained unidentified.He took a random set of bones home and treated them as Miyoko's. In a separate room,there were some belongings of students. Among these, Sizuma found this handbag. Itwas one that her mother Michiko had made for Miyoko, and was the only certain itemthey had to remember her by.

Shigeru Orimen was exposed to the bomb at his building demolition site 600 meters from the hypocenter. He was 13. When he failed to come home, his mother Shigeko went into the city to look for him. She walked all around the city. At dawn on the third day, she saw the body of a child curled in fetal position. Because the name "Orimen" was carved into the lunch box he was still clutching to his stomach, she knew the charred body was Shigeru. There was a hole in the lunchbox and the contents had been burned to coal. That blackened lunchbox had been lovingly packed with a special lunch of soybeans and barley with stir-fried vegetables. His mother had made that lunch with the first harvest from Shigeru's own garden. When he left for work that day, Shigeru had been looking forward eagerly to eating that lunch.

Kengo Nikawa, 59, was on a bridge 1,640 meters from the hypocenter. The blast blew him into the water. He was badly burned on his shoulder, back and head. Nevertheless, he managed to flee to a relative's house in the suburbs. His family gave him the best care they could, but he died on August 22. This pocket watch was a gift from his eldest son Kazuo, and Kengo kept it with him at all times. The glass cover is missing. It was probably broken by the blast as he was blown into the river.

Tetsuo Kitabayashi was only 12 when he was exposed to the bomb at his demolition site 600 meters from the hypocenter. Despite terrible injuries, he managed to return to near his home. He was found there by his parents, who cared for him in their house, which had been toppled by the blast. His face was so burned it swelled up like a rubber ball. It was impossible even to distinguish his eyes and nose, yet he was lucid enough to tell stories of what he had seen as he fled. Toward evening the next day, August 7th, Tetsuo lost consciousness. Then, he began singing deliriously and died. Tetsuo was carrying this canteen when he was exposed to the bomb.