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• 1 2020-05-26T15:14:02+00:00 Tōge Sankichi 2 plain 2020-06-14T15:16:32+00:00 The Our Poems circle’s impact cannot be separated from its founder and editor, revered poet Tōge Sankichi (1918-1953). Tōge’s charisma, passion for art and politics, and dedication to social justice attracted many young people to join the Our Poems Circle. As a hibakusha (abomb survivor) with seriously compromised health, Tōge needed his fellow circle members to visit him. Indeed, his apartment became the center of the group’s literary and political activity.
  In Shikoku’s portrait, Tōge stands youthful and pensive before a repaired brick wall of the A-bomb dome near the hypocenter, holding a copy of the Our Poems journal in one hand. The graffiti on the wall in English above Tōge’s head speaks to Hiroshima’s international reputation as the start of the nuclear age.
  A native of Hiroshima, Tōge Sankichi started reading and writing lyrical poetry, waka, and haiku as a youth. He was not drafted during the war due to lung disease, and survived the bombing at home, 3 kilometers from the hypocenter. He became a Catholic, and in 1949 joined the Japan Communist party. True to the democratic culture of the age, Tōge worked actively as a leader and mentor but emphasized the egalitarian nature of the circle by heavily featuring the work of the young members in the journal.