I looked at a Japanese karasuzansho prickly ash tree that died in Nagasaki at the presumed age of 130.
It was long known as the town's iconic hibakujumoku atomic bomb survivor tree The trunk was charred and split in the middle, and the bark was pitifully twisted.
The tree, which stood on the grounds of the former Shiroyama National School near ground zero, was exposed to the atomic bomb's blast and heat rays.
It miraculously survived, leaning against a nearby Muku tree that spread its branches like open arms.
A tree doctor examined the root system and gave a medicinal coating, but the tree could not be saved from the withering and dying, said Matsuyoshi Ikeda, 84, director of the Peace Memorial Hall in the former Shiroyama National School building.
Some Nagasaki citizens felt there was nothing they could do about the tree.
It was true that others wanted to preserve the survivor tree, and their wish came true last autumn when the peace memorial hall added the tree to its exhibits.
Ikeda was 7 when the atomic bomb exploded on Aug. 9 with a flash over Nagasaki 77 years ago.
He lost his parents and great-grandmother, and grew up being shunted from one relative's home to another.
Ikeda noted that the twisted tree looked angry. It appeared to be determined to survive, and that really spoke to me. Tsukasa Uchida, who died in 2020 at age 90 after leading a movement to preserve the atomic bombed Shiroyama National School building, said: What disappears from your sight also disappears from your mind. All objects that speak to the destructive power of an atomic bomb wither away over time.
The effort becomes more important each year to make sure that the damage done by nuclear weapons will be permanently recorded in the history of the human race.
Nagasaki's atomic bomb survivor tree will never again bask in the sun or grow leaves, but it will continue to live with its eternal mission as an atomic bomb witness. Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that covers a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. The column, written by the veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, offers useful insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.