Incredible relic from the August 6, 1945, atomic bombing of Hiroshima—a 1.75″ x 2.25″ x .5″ piece of roof tile found on the site of the Sairenji Temple, which was part of the explosion epicenter in Hiroshima and near the Genbaku Dome, now the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The appearance and texture of the clay tile were permanently altered after it was exposed to the 6,000 degrees Celsius heat of the atomic blast, and the effects of the extreme heat can be discerned on the tile’s upper portion, which is melted, bubbled, and partially glassy; the unscarred lower half was protected by an overlapping tile. After its discovery, the tile was carved into an oval shape and the underside was painted in gold for presentation. The tile is housed in a simple wooden box, inscribed on the lid, “The Atom Struck Tile, Found on the Site of Sairenji Temple, the Exposition Center, Hiroshima,” and on the lid’s interior: “Presented to Corp. Harry T. Chapman [Japanese text], Sept. 4th 1951, By Rev. S. T. Katsuki, the Chief Priest of Sairenji Temple, the Exposition Center, Hiroshima.”
According to accounts of other allied soldiers who received similar gifts, Katsuki collected these tiles from around the temple and had them inscribed in order to gift them to visitors of the temple. He had sustained severe burns from the blast and he would often show these visitors to demonstrate the impact of the bomb. Because he spoke English he would often give tours of the ruins.
