Photo/Illutration Kazuko Ikegame writes names in the list of deceased atomic bomb victims on July 24 in Hiroshima. (Jun Ueda)

Famed atomic bomb survivor Kazuko Ikegame died of stomach cancer on Aug. 16, just days after completing what had been her life’s work for the past several decades: compiling an annual handwritten list of names to be dedicated to the Cenotaph for Atomic Bomb Victims in Hiroshima. She was 82.

This year marked the 79th anniversary of the atomic explosion that leveled Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. Her final entries, written in brush and ink, brought the total number of dead to 344,306. Of that number, she wrote about 100,000 names, one by one, over the years.

A former Hiroshima city employee and a hibakusha herself, Ikegame would hand over her list of names for the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony held in the city’s Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

In 1985, she was put in charge of adding entries to the list of the deceased.

This year’s list, which she completed on the evening of Aug. 5, the day before the ceremony, while she was fighting cancer, was her 35th.

Ikegame watched the Aug. 6 ceremony on TV while lying in bed at home.

On Aug. 15, she received a letter of appreciation from the city of Hiroshima for her achievement.

Ikegame was hospitalized in January to have her stomach removed. She was back in hospital again from early June to mid-July due to gallbladder problems.

The doctor gave her one month to live.

In an interview with The Asahi Shimbun, she said, “I felt I had to do this one thing, so I worked hard with a sense of mission and responsibility.”

A name is also a proof of a person’s life, Ikegame once said. 

Her son, Kazutoshi, 59, said, “My mother was putting on a brave face. I think she felt that she had to (do so) until Aug. 6.”

He said her strength and energy visibly deteriorated with each passing day.

Nobuko Nakamoto, 82, who worked with Ikegame for many years, said, “She worked hard and took pride in writing the names.”

The last time Nakamoto spoke with Ikegame was June 3, when Ikegame got to work on this year’s list.

Nakamoto recalled that Ikegame looked thinner than when she last saw her. When she asked Ikegame if she was OK, she replied, “I’m fine.”

Next year, Ikegame’s name will be entered on the list and dedicated to the cenotaph at the Aug. 6 ceremony.

Nakamoto said, “If I am asked to write the names next year, I would like to write Ikegame’s name.”

She said, “I will write her name as a way of saying, ‘Thank you.’”

Shinji Uemoto, who heads the city government’s division that surveys the damage caused by the atomic bombing, said, “I would like to express my deepest gratitude for all her hard work, offer my condolences, and pray that she will rest in peace.”

According to the health ministry, the number of people who were exposed to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and hold the “Hibakusha Kenko Techo” (survivor's health certificate) numbered 106,825 at the end of March this year, down 6,824 from the previous year. The average age of the survivors increased by 0.57 year from the previous year to 85.58.

(This article was written by Hideki Soejima, a senior staff writer, and Akari Uozumi.)

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