About-
Ninoshima
A guide to the history of Ninoshima.
Guide point 1
Former Army Quarantine Station Site
(now Ninoshima School)
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
After the end of the Sino-Japanese War in 1895 (Meiji 28), an army quarantine station was built here on Ninoshima island. The world's first device for sterilization using high-pressure steam was installed. At the time, infectious diseases such as cholera and typhus were widespread in the war zones, and to prevent the spread of the disease within the country, this was the first place where soldiers returning from the war zone landed and were quarantined.
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
Soldiers came onto the island from the unsterilized piers, and were examined and bathed while their clothing was disinfected.
If they were free of infection, they returned to their ships from the disinfected piers, and were finally able to return to their hometowns from Ujina Port (the army's naval port).
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提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
The pier is made of stones stacked horizontally. This is called flat stacking, and is a characteristic of construction methods from the Meiji and Taisho periods. In addition to the two piers, there are also remains of an incinerator. A red brick chimney can be seen at the northern end of the school, near the coast.
Rumors about Ninoshima
Why was a quarantine station built on Ninoshima? There is a reason for this. "Because there is water and vast flat land." Ninoshima has water, making it the perfect environment for running a quarantine station. In fact, when it was decided to build a quarantine station and discussions were held on where to build it, several islands were considered, including Tsukunejima, a small uninhabited island in Hiroshima Bay. However, because of the need for water and vast flat land, Tsukunejima and other islands were ruled out as candidates, and the quarantine station was built on Ninoshima.
Statue of Shinpei Goto
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提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
Goto Shimpei (1857-1929) was the person who designed and directed the construction of the first quarantine station. Because many soldiers were about to return from the Sino-Japanese War, the First Quarantine Station was completed in a rush of only two months. Moreover, the quarantine system was one that could be used even today.
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A bronze statue was created in the 1935's to honor his achievements, but at the end of the Pacific War, metal items were collected nationwide, and the statue was divided into three parts and stored in order to escape the collection. After the war, the statue was restored and placed on the grounds of Ninoshima School and was inaccessible until 2024, when it was relocated to its current location by Mount Tempo. The joints of the statue could not be seen before, but now they can be seen up close.
Guide point2
Former imperial army ammunition depot site
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提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
There used to be an ammunition depot on Ninoshima Island, but due to an accident at an army ammunition depot in Minami Ward in 1919, the ammunition depot was gradually relocated to Ninoshima Island after that year.
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提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
There is a tunnel leading to the remains of the ammunition depot, which was surrounded on all sides by thick earthen mounds in case of an explosion. At that time, a trolley rail was run from the ammunition depot to the pier on the north side of the Ninoshima School, and ammunition was loaded and unloaded by trolley.
There were several lookout post (sentry stations) on the earthwork of the ammunition depot to monitor the area around the ammunition depot, and two of them are still in existence. Why were these earthworks used to surround the ammunition depot?
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The reason is that in the event of an explosion, the masonry and earthwork would allow the blast to blow through the air. These mounds remained in use until the Pacific War.
Guide point3
Army and Navy stone pillars (in front of Horiguchi Kaisan)
This is to indicate that the military facilities on Ninoshima island and the surrounding area are designated as a fortified zone, including for confidentiality, etc., and that civilians are prohibited from entering the area. The boundary marker (145cm high) in the former army ammunition storage facility area was installed to mark the boundary with unclaimed civilian land when the army built the quarantine station. The fact that the boundary with the civilian land had to be marked in this way suggests that the quarantine station was built on land that was suddenly confiscated in the living area of the residents.
Guide point4
Former Army Second Quarantine Station
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提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
In 1904 (Meiji 37), with the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, the Second Quarantine Station was constructed. Together with the First Quarantine Station, it became the largest quarantine facility in the East. At that time, there were five quarantine stations nationwide, but the Ninoshima Quarantine Station handled 660,000 individuals, which accounted for half of the total 1.29 million individuals quarantined during the Russo-Japanese War.
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第二検疫所 検疫業務 その２
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提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
Compared to the quarantine operations during the First Sino-Japanese War, the number of ships and personnel was five times greater. However, there were very few infections, with only 98 cases of quarantinable diseases reported, and no cholera outbreaks. Subsequently, Ninoshima continued its quarantine operations for over 40 years, through World War I, the Second Sino-Japanese War, and up until the end of the Pacific War.
On August 6, 1945 (Showa 20), the facility became a temporary field hospital, housing approximately 10,000 victims of the atomic bomb. The pier used to bring in the bomb victims still remain today. Many people took their final breaths on this site and were either cremated or buried.
Rumors about Ninoshima
What was quarantine like during the Russo-Japanese War? It is said that disinfection of equipment and military uniforms was carried out using chemicals and steam. During the First Sino-Japanese War, high-pressure steam was used, which required one hour. However, by switching to high-pressure, high-temperature formalin disinfection, the time was reduced by half to just 30 minutes, greatly improving efficiency. For the soldiers, disinfection was done with soap only, as in the First Sino-Japanese War, without the use of chemicals. After undergoing disinfection (bathing), soldiers would change into yukata (light cotton robes) and rest in a large hall while waiting for their equipment and clothing to be disinfected. It is said that "zenzai" (sweet red bean soup) was served by local women of Ninoshima. Patients with infectious diseases were admitted to the quarantine station's hospital within the facility. Soldiers suspected of being infected were isolated in detention quarters for approximately 10 to 14 days. 
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
Rumors about Ninoshima
The responsibility of transporting atomic bomb victims to Ninoshima fell to a special unit called "Marure." The official name of this unit was the "Army Naval Assault Squadron," and its purpose and mission were to serve as a naval special attack force, piloting waterborne special attack boats to strike enemy ships with depth charges. The unit was abruptly established in August 1944 (Showa 19) at Kounoura, Etajima, across the water from Ninoshima, as its main base. On August 6, immediately after the atomic bomb was dropped, an order was issued at 11:00 a.m. for the unit to mobilize and rescue Hiroshima residents. The squad ceased its training, boarded landing craft, and arrived at the devastated area shortly after noon. One group advanced up the rivers in small boats to load victims onto their vessels, while another group worked on land to transport victims. Most of the unit members were of our generation (19–20 years old) or even younger. Reflecting on their activities amid the horrors of that time not only allows us to imagine their fear but also prompts us to consider what we, living in peace today, should do for the future. 
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Guide point5
Remnants of the incinerator of the horse quarantine Station
(moved to the site of the Ninoshima Welcome Exchange Center)
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提供：似島歴史ボランティアガイドの会（無断使用を禁じます。）
The horse quarantine Station was a facility that quarantined military horses returning from war. It was built in 1940 on the site of the current Ninoshima Elementary and Junior High Schools.
Many people who were exposed to the atomic bomb and injured were brought to the No. 2 Quarantine Station, which served as a temporary field hospital. Amidst an extreme shortage of medical supplies, many A-bomb survivors died. Initially, the bodies were cremated one by one at the crematorium, but as the number of deaths increased, the crematorium alone was no longer sufficient, and an incinerator located at the Bama Quarantine Station was used for cremation.
In 1990, a large quantity of human remains were discovered when the city of Hiroshima was clearing land for the construction of municipal housing. At the time of excavation, more than 300 shovelfuls of remains were identified. In order to preserve the remains of the incinerator, it was moved to its present location in 1990.
Guide point6
Air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelters dug at the end of the Pacific War can be seen along the road. Because there was a military facility on the island, it was a potential target of air strikes. Although not actually bombed, it was used to temporarily house the bodies of atomic bomb survivors.
Guide point7
Cenotaph and Memorial Plaza
On August 6, 1945,
a single atomic bomb dropped by a U.S. B29
caused enormous casualties.
a single atomic bomb dropped by a U.S. B29
caused enormous casualties.
背景の建物は在りし日の旧馬匹検疫所
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The Role of Ninoshima
in the Pacific War
in the Pacific War
The military designated the then Ninoshima Army Quarantine Station as a temporary field hospital and began taking in the injured.
However, the number of victims was too great to be contained in the camp, and many lost their lives here.
In October 1971, 517 remains were exhumed from the ground of Ninoshima Junior High School,
and in November of the following year,
a cenotaph was erected to pray for the repose of the souls of the victims of the atomic bombing.
a cenotaph was erected to pray for the repose of the souls of the victims of the atomic bombing.
The site where the remains were excavated has been turned into a memorial square, and a flower bed has been laid out by local residents.
碑 文
昭和二十年八月六 日 広島市は人類最初の原子爆弾によって一瞬のうちに二十数万人の死傷者を出した負傷者は各所に避難しここ似島にも一万人余に及ぶ人々が収容され応急看護の甲斐もなく死亡者が続出し混乱の中とはいえ一部は仮埋葬のままでこの地に眠り、悲しくも二十有六年の歳月が過ぎた昭和四十六年十一月はからずもこの地から遺骨が発見され推定五百十七柱を発掘し原爆供養塔に合祀したここに一周年を迎え諸霊の冥福を祈り平和への誓いを新たにしてこの碑を建立する 昭和四十七年十一月広 島 市 長 山 田 節 雄
Museum
Ninoshima Peace Museum
It was built in 2021 at the Memorial Square to inherit the historical facts of the island.
Visitors can look back on the events that occurred during the Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War along with photographs. The museum displays photos of quarantine during the Sino-Japanese War, Shinpei Goto at that time, and quarantine during the Russo-Japanese War. Artifacts and traces excavated from the Memorial Plaza are also left as exhibits.
About the Ninoshima POW camp. Prisoners of war are prisoners of war. German soldiers and military personnel in China during World War I were sent to the prison camp on Ninoshima Island. At the time, Japan was in compliance with treaties to join the international community, so POWs were warmly welcomed and not treated roughly. They were given free entertainment, and more than 70% of the POWs participated in some kind of training, such as theater, English classes, sausage making, etc. You can also see pictures of what it was like in those days. Carl Uheim, one of the POWs, baked the first baumkuchen here in Japan. It is recommended to visit the exhibition, which is a humorous picture book about the history and circumstances leading up to his death. The museum is also famous for the exchange of German-style soccer with the POWs, which later contributed greatly to the improvement and spread of soccer skills in Hiroshima Prefecture.