#未来へ向けた挑戦(18)#戦争を聞いて(8) 戦争の記憶：母の大阪大空襲と生きた証　ー　(英語版) ー　　　Memories of War VII: My Mother’s Osaka Air Raid and Her Legacy

My mother was born in 1936 (Showa 11) and was nine years old at the end of the war. As the fifth daughter, she was protected by her older siblings and her ailing mother.

The most vivid memory she recalls is the Osaka air raids. In 1945 (Showa 20), the city was repeatedly bombed. Her home was completely destroyed in the final raids. At that time, she was carried by her aunt, running to escape. She did not run herself, but witnessed a bomb striking a middle-aged man ahead of them, splitting him in half—an image that left a deep impression on her.

She described being utterly terrified, hiding in a river while waiting for the danger to pass. She also remembered the scarcity of food, sharing what little they had, and wondered what would happen to those who had died.

After the war, life was difficult. She excelled in middle school but almost gave up on attending high school due to poverty. Encouraged by her teacher, she pursued further education. Later, despite facing discrimination as a child from a single-parent household, she eventually became a bank employee through connections.

Now, my mother lives alone in a dementia care facility. Seeing someone who was once so strong in this final stage of life is painful. Yet by recording her experiences, I hope to preserve a part of her life and the legacy she leaves behind.


#WarMemories #OsakaAirRaids #LifeAfterWar #MothersStories #ShowaEra #PrayForPeace #Legacy