Honkawa Elementary School Peace Museum (A-bombed School Building)

Honkawa Elementary School (本川小学校), formally known during the war as Honkawa National School (本川国民学校), holds the tragic distinction of being the closest school to the hypocenter of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima — just 410 meters away. Completed in July 1928, the three-story reinforced concrete building was the first of its kind among Hiroshima's schools, representing a modern architectural achievement for the city at the time.

On the morning of August 6, 1945, at 8:15 AM, the uranium bomb "Little Boy" detonated almost directly above the school. The immense blast wave and thermal radiation instantly destroyed the building's interior, incinerating everything within. The school's principal, approximately 10 teachers and staff, and around 400 students were killed — virtually the entire school community. Only one teacher and one student are known to have survived. The reinforced concrete outer walls and basement, however, withstood the explosion, leaving the building as a hollow, scorched shell.

In the immediate aftermath, the gutted building served as an emergency relief station and shelter for survivors streaming through the devastated Honkawa neighborhood. The school grounds became a cremation site for the countless dead. Despite the overwhelming destruction, classes resumed in February 1946 amid the ruins, a testament to the determination to rebuild normalcy in the shattered city.

In 1988, part of the original A-bombed school building — centered on the preserved basement — was opened as the Honkawa Elementary School Peace Museum (本川小学校平和資料館). The museum displays artifacts recovered from the ruins, including charred equipment and structural remnants, alongside a large-scale diorama that reconstructs the pre-bombing cityscape and illustrates the bomb's detonation point relative to the school. The preserved basement retains its fire-blackened walls and ceiling, offering visitors an immersive encounter with the physical evidence of the bombing.

The museum is maintained by the Honkawa Elementary School PTA and its alumni, with current students actively participating in cleaning and upkeep. The site is officially designated as one of Hiroshima's hibaku tatemono (被爆建物, A-bombed buildings) and stands as one of the most powerful surviving witnesses to the destructive force of the atomic bomb, particularly its devastating impact on children and education.