On August 6, 1945 the nuclear bomb “Little Boy” devastated Hiroshima, Japan. 140,000 people, most just regular civilians, were killed. Three days later “Fat Man” was dropped on Nagasaki killing a further 80,000 people.

Karol Igawa-Brown’s mother, Akie Igawa, witnessed the war as an innocent child. She became ill in 1996 and passed away two years later with her fatal illness attributed to radiation exposure released by Little Boy. “When I nursed my mother from ‘96 until her death in ‘98, she knew the cause of her illness but still there was that silence. There was a bone marrow test and we decided to keep the results from her as we thought she had enough to deal with,” shares Karol.

Although she remained silent through-out her adult life about the impact the bombing had on her, Akie left her daughter with some of the haunting images that would inspire Karol to speak out for her mother.

From Akie Igawa;

“I remember when I was a little girl I would runaway to the mountains, take off my shoes and socks and sit there when I was supposed to be at school. I hated watching my parents work so hard for the war.

“The day the bomb was to be dropped my father asked me to stay home and not attend girl’s school in Hiroshima. He needed me to help on the family farm. I remember looking up at the sky that day not knowing what was about to transpire. There was a beautiful mushroom cloud in the distance.

"Father later heard what had happened so we hurried into Hiroshima. Shock. Dead bodies all around. The river charred black. They died instantly drinking the water from the river, like putting red hot plates into cold water, they cracked. There was nothing, just death. (It) looked like the end of the world.”

Karol’s father, William Robert Brown, was an Australian soldier who worked and lived in Japan for thirteen years before returning to Melbourne with his new wife. “When my father arrived in Australia with his Japanese wife there was no one, no family, waiting for them at the airport. They spent the day wondering where they might stay as so many doors were shut in their faces. No one wanted to know my mother.”

Her mother missed her family back in Japan so she and her children eventually went back home. “I loved every little inch of my second home (in Japan) for the freedom – running wild and free through the cotton fields, catching frogs in the rice fields, grandfather yelling at us when we were in bed at night as we were so excited about each days event.

"I never wanted to go back to Australia, but I missed my father. My mother went into labour (giving birth to my brother) in Japan. Now there (were) four children. How (did) mother cope with us? She was always so calm.”

They returned back to Australia where Karol was too exposed to the same harsh treatment first experienced by her mother. “I was so happy to see my father but so unhappy when I had to go to school, finding out I didn’t fit in.

"I was disliked as I’m a Japanese girl, being referred to as a little black Jap by the other children. I hid at school during recess and lunch time as I was tired of being haunted by a gang of girls following me and calling me little black Jap. I remember pulling back the doors at school and hiding behind them crying. I just wanted to be left alone.”

But Karol had the support of her family behind her and admired the strength shown by her mother, who only saw the good in people. “She was my teacher.” As she grew older, the impact of the nuclear attack became evident. “I remember visiting my aunt in Hiroshima as a child and wondered why she had given me beautiful dresses and clothes. No one said a word. I thought she was without children. It was in my teens that I was to discover my aunt’s daughter (my cousin) had died from after effects of the explosion.

“I revisited Hiroshima and Nagasaki War Museum in the 80’s as an adult this time. I remember walking out of the museum in tears. I cried so hard and could not believe what I saw. Innocent babies, adults charred…the silence of Japan. I returned to Japan two months after my mother died to register her time and date of death at the council office in her hometown of Saijo Hiroshima.”

It was this silence that made Karol want to speak out for all the lives lost and to pay tribute to her parents. “(After seeing) the damage the explosion had caused mankind, I wanted to be the voice for the silence. I would not be here if it was not for my father joining the Occupation Forces and (after) nursing my mother, watching the pain in her eyes as if there were thousands of ghosts from the past trying to talk to me, I promised myself to tell the story.”

With the help of her own daughter, Karol has established clothing label Atom Bomb Baby that breaks the silence. “My daughter and I returned to Japan in ‘06 as we were invited to take a booth at the Mooneyes Kustom Show in Yokohama Japan. We booked our tickets at the travel agent and it was suggested by them not to wear our label in and around the airport. We decided not take their advice and were confronted by many asking ‘why’. This is exactly what I wanted.”

Jumpers, dresses, t-shirts, caps and beanies all designed and made by Karol now appear in her range with the Atom Bomb Baby logo based on the bomb “Little Boy”. Her label is commonly referred to as unusual yet wonderful and continues to attract attention.

“We went back to Hiroshima where we were stopped by American tourists all asking ‘why’ and loving our logo. We then headed back to Osaka and visited a shopping area where we were confronted by a young Japanese designer who was shocked but excited that we had the courage to touch something that was so confronting and has never been revisited by anyone in Japan.”

Continuing to develop this project is an ongoing task for Karol and one that she is passionate about. With the help of her daughter, together they hope to continue spreading the word and encourage peace.

Her shop that has been running in San Remo for two years was demolished and is currently being rebuilt, but the products can still be purchased via their myspace.

Atom Bomb Baby also appears at Kustom Car shows and “Rumbles” around Victoria, Brisbane, Adelaide and within Japan. At these events there are hotrods, kustom artwork, bands and clothing booths. All upcoming events that Atom Bomb Baby is associated with are posted on their website. www.atombombbaby.com

The next event is the Rockabilly Melt Down.
August 24 2008
9 bands performing
Ferntree Gully Hotel
1130 Burwood Hwy
Ferntree Gully