January 28, 2008

Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor to speak at Purdue exhibit

Sachiko Masuoka, an 85-year-old Hiroshima atomic bomb survivor and Chicago resident, will talk about her experience at 1 p.m. Feb. 23 in Room 200 of Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry. Yuki Miyamoto, an associate professor of religious studies at DePaul University and a second-generation hibakusya, which means atomic bomb survivor, will join her, says Kazumi Hatasa, Purdue professor of Japanese and event organizer.

Thirty poster panels will be on display in the first-floor hallways of Stanley Coulter from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Feb. 18 to March 1. There also will be an origami making station for senbazuru, which means 1,000 cranes, on the first floor of Stanley Coulter. The station is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but large groups including local school classes can make an appointment by contacting Hatasa at khatasa@purdue.edu. The cranes will be sent to the Hiroshima Children Memorial to be registered and displayed.

The movie "Face of Jizo: Chichi to Kuraseba," a 2004 Japanese film with English subtitles, will be shown at 7 p.m., Feb. 22 in Stanley Coulter, Room 239. Hatasa will lead the discussion after the showing. The movie is a story of a survivor three years after the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945.

All events are free and open to the public. The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, the Asian studies program, the Peace studies program and the College of Liberal Arts are sponsoring the events. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum also is a supporter.

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Source: Kazumi Hatasa, (765) 494-3846, khatasa@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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