Photographer Yosuke YAMAHATA was on his way to Kyushu, the southernmost large island of Japan, with orders to photograph the progress of the war in that region. He reached Hiroshima on the night of 5th August 1945, and passed through the city without stopping. A few hours later, on the morning of the 6th August 1945, Hiroshima was struck by the first US Atomic bomb.Three days later, on the 9th August 1945, Yamahata learned that the second US atomic bomb had been exploded on Nagasaki that morning.Yamahata was ordered to rush immediately to Nagasaki to photograph the damage that had been done. After a slow train ride, he reached Nagasaki at 3 am on the morning of the 10th of August 1945 and took these photos.
Photos copyright Yosuke YAMAHATA/MAGNUM Distribution.