- 24.08.06
Hiroshima Appeals 2024 poster
Hiroshima Appeals is a project run by JAGDA Hiroshima
(the Japan Graphic Designers Association Hiroshima branch),
the Hiroshima Peace Creation Fund, and the Hiroshima International Cultural Foundation.
With the goal of promoting peace at home and abroad, graphic designers work voluntarily
to produce a poster that communicates “Hiroshima’s Spirit” more powerfully than words alone.
the Hiroshima Peace Creation Fund, and the Hiroshima International Cultural Foundation.
With the goal of promoting peace at home and abroad, graphic designers work voluntarily
to produce a poster that communicates “Hiroshima’s Spirit” more powerfully than words alone.
The first poster, entitled “Burning Butterflies”, was created by Yusaku Kamekura in 1983,
and a new poster was produced each year for eight years. The posters were exhibited in
a nationwide tour called the Peace Poster Exhibition. Internationally, they gained prominence|
through display in the Atomic Bomb Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland in 1985, and
the “Hiroshima: A Message for Peace among People” exhibition that toured Europe in 1997.
The annual poster initiative was reinstated in 2005 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of
the end of World War II. TAKEO Co., Ltd. provides the poster paper.
and a new poster was produced each year for eight years. The posters were exhibited in
a nationwide tour called the Peace Poster Exhibition. Internationally, they gained prominence|
through display in the Atomic Bomb Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland in 1985, and
the “Hiroshima: A Message for Peace among People” exhibition that toured Europe in 1997.
The annual poster initiative was reinstated in 2005 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of
the end of World War II. TAKEO Co., Ltd. provides the poster paper.
For 2024, graphic designer Takayuki Soeda created a poster entitled “The Powerful Message of Left-behind Objects”
The Powerful Message of Left-behind Objects
Takayuki Soeda
Paper: ARAVEAL-FS snow white 1091X788 S/G 151g/m2
Printing process: Oil-based offset printing 5 colors
(4 process colors + special black) [TOPPAN Co., Ltd.]
The Powerful Message of Left-behind Objects
I was born five years after World War II, so I lack a real sense of what war entails. I experienced the post-war atmosphere, though, and I gained a sense of the cruelty of war and the importance of peace from the press coverage year after year. Today, wars continue to rage across the globe. How long will it take for humankind to learn?
When I received the Hiroshima Appeals commission, I sat stunned for a while and wondered how to proceed. I realized how difficult it would be to convey the horrors of the atomic bomb while espousing peace and a strong anti-war sentiment in just one poster. Was this task beyond me? I mainly create advertisements for a living. This led me to consider creating an image more grounded in reality rather than one sprung from a designer’s imagination.
While browsing through materials from that time, I came across “Hiroshima,” a photo collection by Miyako Ishiuchi. With the permission of the families and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Ishiuchi was commissioned by a publisher to photograph articles left behind by atomic bomb victims. What struck me most were the clothes worn on that fateful day. As you’d expect, these were ripped and torn. Ishiuchi explained how she had placed the items on a large lightbox to shoot them. Perhaps I shouldn’t say this, but despite the tragic air, the objects also had a certain beauty, perhaps because of the backlight effect. The backlighting strips away the rawness, enabling the photos to portray that awful moment in a powerfully symbolic way. Ishiuchi showed it was possible to represent the horror of the atomic bomb symbolically rather than directly. These artifacts contain a strong message: “Never forget what happened.”
With Ishiuchi’s consent, I used one of these photos to create the poster. Even now, each year brings new donations of treasured artifacts from the victims’ families. Ishiuchi also continues to visit Hiroshima annually to take photographs.
Paper: ARAVEAL-FS snow white 1091X788 S/G 151g/m2
Printing process: Oil-based offset printing 5 colors
(4 process colors + special black) [TOPPAN Co., Ltd.]
See the JAGDA Hiroshima website (external website) for details.
This poster will be exhibited at the Hiroshima Peace Poster Exhibition 2024 and other events, and is available for purchase by the general public for 1,100 yen, including tax.
- Hiroshima Peace Poster Exhibition 2024
This show presents the new poster along with all Hiroshima Appeals posters from the past.
| Dates: | 10:00 – 19:00 August 25 – 30, 2024 (Closes at 17:00 on the last day) |
| Venue: | Former Hiroshima Branch of the Bank of Japan |
| 5-21 Fukuromachi, Naka Ward, Hiroshima 730-0036 Japan map | |
| Organizers: | JAGDA Hiroshima, and others |
| Admission: | Free |
- The poster design will be used at bus stops in Hiroshima City.
Dates: July 29 – August 11, 2024
- Graphic Design in Japan 2024 Exhibition
This show is exhibiting this year’s poster The Powerful Message of Left-behind Objects as well as the first poster designed by Yusaku Kamekura in 1983.
| Dates: | July 12 – August 25, 2024 |
| Venue: | Tokyo Midtown Design Hub |
| Admission: | Free |
More information about Hiroshima Appeals: