Photo/Illutration Members of the hibakusha choir “Himawari” sing at the memorial ceremony to mourn the Nagasaki atomic bomb victims held in the city on Aug. 9. Kazumi Uki, 89, the oldest member, is on the left of the front row. (Minako Yoshimoto)

A hibakusha choir made its final appearance at the memorial ceremony in Nagasaki commemorating victims of the Aug. 9, 1945, bombing, after performing at it for more than a decade.

It was the first time in three years the choir, named “Hibakusha Utau Kai Himawari" (A group of singing hibakusha--Sunflower), sang at the ceremony.

But it was also the last time because, 77 years after the end of the war, its members have aged and feel they cannot continue to perform.

The group, made up of 23 atomic bomb survivors, including nine current choir members as well as some former ones, sang a song titled “Mou Nido to" (Not one more time).

Kazumichi Terai, 73, the choir’s conductor, composed the song.

The choir members poured their hearts into their final performance at the ceremony, singing, “Can you hear / Voice of hibakusha.”

At almost the center of the stage, Kazumi Uki, 89, the oldest member of the choir living in Nagasaki, sang with an intense and serious expression on her face.

The atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki when she was 12, exposing her to radiation. 

Although she was not injured, her classmates and teachers lost their lives.

Uki has hated war since because it “robs people of their lives regardless of their intentions.”

The choir was originally formed in 2004, the year after a series of group lawsuits were filed over medical benefits for atomic bomb survivors in courts across Japan.

At around that time, members of a group of hibakusha asked Terai to compose “a song to cheer up hibakusha.”

Terai then invited hibakusha to sing together, and 12 or so soon joined him.

The choir started singing at the memorial ceremony in 2010, the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombing, and has also performed in Hiroshima, Okinawa, the United States and Germany.

Its members recounted their stories and experiences of surviving the atomic bomb blast to children and students when they sang at elementary schools and junior high schools.

But when they got together earlier this year in April after a long hiatus, they decided that this would be their last performance at the memorial ceremony.

When they started practicing again, Terai asked the members how many wanted to appear at the ceremony this year, but only two raised their hands.

But Terai managed to persuade and motivate them.

“This year’s appearance will be our last, so let’s do our best,” he said.

By the end of practice that day, all the members wanted to sing at the ceremony.

After the ceremony, the choir’s leader, Teiko Tasaki, 81, said, “I was remembering former members who died.”

The choir also recorded a CD this summer with around 30 high school students from Nagasaki.

The great-grandfather of Miyabi Hamada, 16, who was one of the students, survived the bombing but died before she was born.

“The singing voices of the hibakusha were powerful,” she said. “It conveyed even to our generation their desire to think about peace.”

Although the choir is done performing at the ceremony, it has received an invitation to appear at an event with the high school students they recorded the album with.

“It’s great that we will be able to keep singing about our prayers for peace with young people,” Tasaki said with a smile.

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