17 Rest House
The Taishoya Kimono Shop, which has its main store in Osaka, was moved from its old location in Saiku-machi on the opposite bank into a newly constructed building in 1929. The modern-looking, reinforced-concrete structure was quite unusual at a time when most buildings were made of wood. The first, second, and third floors were sales areas in which customers could browse the display cases wearing shoes (highly unusual in those days). From the rooftop one could look out over the city.
In December 1943, the kimono store was closed by order of the Textile Control Ordinance. At the time of the bombing, the Hiroshima Prefecture Fuel Rationing Union had acquired the building. Like other fire-resistant buildings, it was used by a national-policy control corporation.
On August 6, when the bomb exploded over this building only 170 meters from the hypocenter, the roof was crushed, the interior destroyed, and everything consumable burned except in the basement. Despite its proximity, however, it retained its basic shape because it was solidly built with few openings toward the hypocenter side. Thirty-seven people were working there at the time; of these, eight were able to escape the building despite their injuries. Later, all died except for one man who had gone down to the basement to get documents. He died in June 1982.
The basement room is preserved as it was just after the bomb exploded.
The building has served as the Rest House in Peace Memorial Park since 1982.
