Ground-level photos of the immediate aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing is something really rare, considering that there are only a few. In January one of the original prints surfaced in the archives at Honkawa Elementary School in Hiroshima city. Reprints of that photo did appear in a 1988 Japanese-language publication, but the whereabouts of the original were unknown until now.
The photo shows the characteristic mushroom cloud as it was seen from Kaitaichi, part of present-day Kaita, six miles east of Hiroshima’s center. And although its existence has always been known (it was even reprinted in a 1988 book) this is the first time the actual print has come to light.
In reality, the photo is one of only two very clear photos that show the cloud in two tiers — the other was taken from the Enola Gay that dropped the bomb.
A full article with more details about the photo as well as what was likely happening on the ground at the time it was taken can be found in The Atlantic website.
