79 Years Since the Tragedy. A Book of My Family.
— Fumio Tachibana

More than one hundred volumes containing the names of those who died in the atomic bombing are preserved beneath the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. Once a year, all of the volumes are brought out for a traditional airing ceremony, during which newly registered victims—those who passed away in the previous year as a result of the bombing's long-term effects—are added by hand. In 2024 alone, more than 4,100 names were inscribed.

Tachibana's father was a bookbinder who was responsible for binding some of these registers. After the family bookbindery, which had operated in Hiroshima until only a few years ago, closed its doors, artist Fumio Tachibana photographed Hiroshima and Tokyo, while his younger brother, the film director and sculptor Hidehisa Tachibana, wrote the novel Dear Diary. Together, these works became the foundation of this book. As the handwritten words on the cover state, "It is a book of my family." It is, above all, a book in which the Tachibana family confronts the memory of Hiroshima.

The title, Sanka, is a two-kanji compound characteristic of Tachibana's distinctive sensibility. Throughout his career, he has created evocative titles such as Kyutai (Sphere), Inshō (Impression), and Kikai (Opportunity), revealing unexpected meanings through carefully chosen combinations of Chinese characters. Likewise, Yoin (Sphere 12), the catalogue accompanying his exhibition Impression at Art Tower Mito, remains one of his most memorable titles.

This edition is based on the original private edition of Sanka, a limited edition of 350 copies that Fumio Tachibana bound and published himself in 2020. It has now been republished as a complete Japanese–English bilingual edition.

Exhibition

Fumio Tachibana: Umbrellas and Ghosts
August 6–18
Venue: Morioka Shoten

Fumio Tachibana

Born in Hiroshima in 1968, Fumio Tachibana is an artist whose practice centers on language, paper, printed matter, and books. Alongside creating distinctive publications such as the magazine Kyutai, he has exhibited widely in museums and galleries. His most recent photobook is Sanka.