16:20 〜 16:35
[HDS10-16] The Way of Seeing the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Relationship with Viewers’ Attributes
キーワード：原爆ドーム、まなざし、風景、写真、世界遺産
1. Introduction
The Atomic Bomb Dome (ABD) is one of the major atomic bombing sites in Hiroshima. In 1996, it was registered as an UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name “Hiroshima Peace Memorial,” and its lasting preservation was secured. However, like other world heritage sites, its maintenance and management were not easy. Hiroshima City, taking charge of the management, established “Preservation and maintenance policies of peace memorial museums (2006),” in which the role of the ABD was specified as "The witness of history who suffered heavy damage by an atomic bomb" and "The symbol of hope for nuclear weapon extinction and lasting peace." This policy considered the mindset of the people who wished for peace, tried to preserve the history, and achieve World heritage-registration. This description meant regarding the ABD as the memory of Hiroshima. In other words, it was aimed to include not only the Dome’s visual image (the visual aspect) but also the history of Hiroshima and people who had an emotional connection with the town (the semantic aspect), and to preserve both. To embody the idea in a preservation plan, it is necessary to clarify the history of Hiroshima as the background of the ABD and the mindset of people. This study analyzes the "way of seeing" to reveal “how” and “by whom” the ABD has been seen until today, and to understand the memory of Hiroshima.
In light of the above issues and viewpoints, the objectives of this study are 1) to classify the way of seeing the dome and 2) to address the meaning of the relationship between the landscape types and viewers’ attributes.
2. Methods
Photographs were collected to understand how ABD is seen by a variety of viewers. Approximately 561 photographs in which the ABD appeared were found in 52 books at the Hiroshima City Central Library. These were selected as materials for analysis, excluding those wherein who took the photograph and when it was taken could not be identified. Time, locations, and photographers were identified, and the constituent elements of each scene were counted to understand the characteristics of the photographs. The attributes of photographing through identification are as follows: (1) time: year of photographing; (2) locations: 6 areas of photographing; and (3) photographers: 4 categories extracted by combining “people who visited Hiroshima,” “people who were born or lived in Hiroshima,” “photographers,” and “amateur photographers.” After this process, the sceneries were divided into typical patterns by using quantification method of the third type and cluster analysis. Finally, the relationship between the landscape types and the photographers’ attributes was analyzed.
3. Results and Conclusion
The ways of seeing were classified into 6 types, which were related to photographers’ attributes. These were: I) landscape hit by atomic bomb, II) landscape with low buildings, III) landscape viewed through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Monument, IV) landscape of the ABD, V) landscape with plants, and VI) landscape with high buildings. Moreover, it was revealed that landscape I) was photographed more by “people who visited Hiroshima.” Likewise, II), III), and IV) were related to “photographers who were born or lived in Hiroshima,” “people who were born or lived in Hiroshima,” and “photographers who visited Hiroshima,” respectively. Additionally, the elements included in the photographs, the main period of photographing, and the viewpoint of photographing differ according to the landscape types. In conclusion, it was suggested that the meaning of Hiroshima’s memory as understood by the photographers was diverse and it was necessary to provide the visitors to ABD with various landscape experiences related to the ways of seeing the ABD.
The Atomic Bomb Dome (ABD) is one of the major atomic bombing sites in Hiroshima. In 1996, it was registered as an UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name “Hiroshima Peace Memorial,” and its lasting preservation was secured. However, like other world heritage sites, its maintenance and management were not easy. Hiroshima City, taking charge of the management, established “Preservation and maintenance policies of peace memorial museums (2006),” in which the role of the ABD was specified as "The witness of history who suffered heavy damage by an atomic bomb" and "The symbol of hope for nuclear weapon extinction and lasting peace." This policy considered the mindset of the people who wished for peace, tried to preserve the history, and achieve World heritage-registration. This description meant regarding the ABD as the memory of Hiroshima. In other words, it was aimed to include not only the Dome’s visual image (the visual aspect) but also the history of Hiroshima and people who had an emotional connection with the town (the semantic aspect), and to preserve both. To embody the idea in a preservation plan, it is necessary to clarify the history of Hiroshima as the background of the ABD and the mindset of people. This study analyzes the "way of seeing" to reveal “how” and “by whom” the ABD has been seen until today, and to understand the memory of Hiroshima.
In light of the above issues and viewpoints, the objectives of this study are 1) to classify the way of seeing the dome and 2) to address the meaning of the relationship between the landscape types and viewers’ attributes.
2. Methods
Photographs were collected to understand how ABD is seen by a variety of viewers. Approximately 561 photographs in which the ABD appeared were found in 52 books at the Hiroshima City Central Library. These were selected as materials for analysis, excluding those wherein who took the photograph and when it was taken could not be identified. Time, locations, and photographers were identified, and the constituent elements of each scene were counted to understand the characteristics of the photographs. The attributes of photographing through identification are as follows: (1) time: year of photographing; (2) locations: 6 areas of photographing; and (3) photographers: 4 categories extracted by combining “people who visited Hiroshima,” “people who were born or lived in Hiroshima,” “photographers,” and “amateur photographers.” After this process, the sceneries were divided into typical patterns by using quantification method of the third type and cluster analysis. Finally, the relationship between the landscape types and the photographers’ attributes was analyzed.
3. Results and Conclusion
The ways of seeing were classified into 6 types, which were related to photographers’ attributes. These were: I) landscape hit by atomic bomb, II) landscape with low buildings, III) landscape viewed through the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Monument, IV) landscape of the ABD, V) landscape with plants, and VI) landscape with high buildings. Moreover, it was revealed that landscape I) was photographed more by “people who visited Hiroshima.” Likewise, II), III), and IV) were related to “photographers who were born or lived in Hiroshima,” “people who were born or lived in Hiroshima,” and “photographers who visited Hiroshima,” respectively. Additionally, the elements included in the photographs, the main period of photographing, and the viewpoint of photographing differ according to the landscape types. In conclusion, it was suggested that the meaning of Hiroshima’s memory as understood by the photographers was diverse and it was necessary to provide the visitors to ABD with various landscape experiences related to the ways of seeing the ABD.