Symbolic

According to our interpretations

Black rain which literally is a radiated rain, in another sense can also be considered as the crying of Hiroshima because the rain fell down not long after the bomb was dropped which led to the total destruction of the city. 

Tea ceremony is a Japanese tradition of tea making. The ceremony also symbolizes peace. The explosion of the atomic bomb during a tea ceremony is an event that can be seen as the disturbance of Japanese people’ peace.

Jizo sculptures have many meanings according to their shapes and appearances. One of the meanings of Jizo or Ojizosama is that they are believed to help heal sickness. It is believed by the Japanese people that Jizo will absorb all the sickness from the person. In the film, Yuichi who has feeling for Yasuko carves many Jizo statues and gives them to Yasuko hoping that they will help protect her against the sickness.

Carp is a prominent symbol throughout the film. It is believed by Shizuma and his friends that carp’s blood will enhance health as well as fight against radiation sickness. A carp really symbolizes the endurance of Japan and the Japanese people which in this case are the hibakushas, due to their nature, the fish can swim upstream. After having survived the bombing, the hibakushas are still suffering in many ways. Nevertheless, they stick together and try to move on. Even in the Japanese traditional festival cerebrating the growing of boys called ‘Koinobori’, carps serve as the festival symbol. Family with young boys would hang carp streamers which represent the growing up of boys to become healthy and strong.

White rainbow is a sign that bad things will happen. In the end, when Yasuko’s condition worsens, Shizuma hopes that bad signs such as a white rainbow would never appear. Also in the novel, Shizuma himself has once seen a white rainbow before on 14^th  August, the month of the bombing. Shizuma’s boss is another person who has seen a white rainbow. He tells Shizuma that he saw a white rainbow on the day before the 2.26 event happened in Japan. 2.26 was the date of famous Japanese coup d’état incident when the prime minister at the time was almost assassinated and many government officials were killed. Another possible negative sign is a white rainbow in the form of a mushroom cloud. Shizuma hears on the radio how the Americans are considering using nuclear weapons with the Koreas due to the Korea War happening at the time. Therefore, Shizuma might have some fear regarding another nuclear holocaust and radiation fallout which can spread to Japan.

By: Pim, Ai