Photo/Illutration American poet Arthur Binard performs a picture-story show in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward on Jan. 26. (Kohei Higashitani)

HIROSHIMA--An American poet performed a heart-wrenching “kamishibai” picture-story show here to illustrate the horrible cost of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing to the city he has called home for more than 20 years.

Arthur Binard, 52, performed “Chicchai koe” (small voices) before an audience in the city’s Naka Ward on Jan. 26.

The story depicts how cells of living creatures lose their voices after being exposed to radiation from the atomic bomb. Its pictures came from Iri and Toshi Maruki's renowned “Genbaku no Zu” series of 15 painted folding panels depicting the aftermath of the bombing.

The tradition of staging “kamishibai” picture card shows for kids on street corners originated in the first half of the 1900s.

Binard encountered the cards about 30 years ago soon after he first came to Japan in the children's book section of a library in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district.

Seeing a picture-story show staged, “a mysterious box came out and when it opened, it turned into a stage,” he recalled.

It took Binard seven years to craft a compelling story for “Chicchai koe.” 

Through the process “I was able to make constant discoveries of what place Hiroshima is and how I’ll be involved in it,” Binard said.

The poet said his interaction with Hiroshima residents led him to realize that “the atomic bombing was not for putting an end to the war.”

Introducing the show in Naka Ward, Binard drew laughter from the audience of 170 or so by saying, “It's called ‘Chicchai koe,’ but with so many people here, I have to read the story in a loud voice.”

Once he began the picture show, the audience listened to him in silence.

Calling on people to stand up against war and nuclear weapons, Binard pointed out that for those outside Japan, the name “Hiroshima” bears the tragic distinction of being synonymous for the atomic bombing itself.

 “There are many things we can do,” Binard told the audience. “I want to join hands with you in taking action.”