Issey Miyake, who died on Aug. 5 at 84, came from Hiroshima. As a high school student, he was immensely moved by the beauty of the handrails of the Peace Bridge near ground zero of the atomic bombing in the city. The handrails were designed by sculptor Isamu Noguchi. "It made me aware of the power of design that can give people encouragement," Miyake later said.
Miyake became a hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) while an elementary school student. Yet he rarely spoke of his wartime experiences because, "I don't want to be called a pikadon [a slang term for the atomic bomb] designer, and it would be pathetic to make the atomic bombing an excuse," he once said.
