This documentary explores the remarkable stories behind the hopeful drawings of the children of Honkawa Elementary School in a war-ridden Hiroshima and the evolution of a friendship across distance and time.
Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard airs Monday, August 4 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.
Originally sent as a gift of thanks from the war-scarred children of Honkawa Elementary School in Hiroshima—responding to a donation of art and school supplies from the children of All Souls Unitarian Church—a box of colorful drawings was uncovered at a parishioner’s home in 1995. They surprisingly depicted self-portraits, festival flags and kites against a bright blue sky, children on a playground, and cherry blossoms in bloom—none reflecting the horror or trauma the children had endured. In 2010, church members set out to reunite the drawings with their creators.
Photo: Children of the All Souls Unitarian Church opening packages from the children of Honkawa Elementary School in Hiroshima.
Credit: American Public Television.