Hiroshima is a Japanese jazz-fusion band that formed in 1974 in Los Angeles. While various members have been involved with the band over the years, the mainstay (core) members are:

If you click on the "discography" link from the menu, you'll see the albums and their release years. The band has been recording together since 1976 (having formed in 1974).

I have not tracked-down any information the infamous missing album, "The Golden Age," but, if I were to guess, I would say: it contains a version of the single "The Golden Age" that can be found on the album East (1989).

Now why did I put together a fan website for this band?

I have been a fan of the band since 1985, with the release of "One Wish" (from the album Another Place (1985)). Like many, my first exposure to this song was actually the remixed version by Paul Hardcastle. When I went to buy the casette (remember those?), I heard Hiroshima's version. Though I did notice the difference, I figured: it was a "album-only" version. Regardless, the love affair with the band began that day.

I have had the pleasure of meeting the band personally (including some of their guest artists like Terry Steele, Freddy Schreuders, Karen Han, and Shoji Kameda). A couple of times, I've been invited "back stage" to participate in various "meet-and-greets" with media and friends. I've seen them perform in various locations between 2001 and 2013, including:

I first met the band back in 2001, after June Kuramoto sent me an e-mail in response to a fan letter I wrote to their "Friends of Hiroshima" P.O. Box. I was on a road trip at the time, but when I got back, her e-mail was waiting for me. She invited me to their performance at a "multi-cultural days" event at Dan's church in the coming weeks; she said she'd pass my letter around and would introduce me to the band if I could attend. She lived up to her promise, and, I met everyone after the performance.

… and yes, I able to to see co-founding member Johnny Mori perform during those years, including his final live show with Hiroshima in 2003. Watching this "Whirling Dervish" or "Tazmanian Devil" strike the Taiko [太鼓] with such speed and accuracy, is absolutely incredible live! In 2003, Mori retired from performance in order to be involved in, and ultimately run, the Japanese American Cultural And Community Center in Los Angeles, California.

In 2005, I went on my first of two (to date) vacations to Japan. On this trip, though I mostly stayed in Tokyo [東京], I spent three days in Hiroshima [広島]. The main place in Hiroshima I spent the most time was: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park [平和記念公園: Heiwa Ki'nen Koo'en] , a place where Hiroshima (the band) has played before. I also saw the Gembaku Dome [原爆ドーム] (the community building over which the atomic bomb was actually detonated) and the Sadako Sasaki [佐々木禎子] / Children's Memorial Monument

I stood next to the spot where the bomb was dropped, and, where it actually exploded. I stood in the place where one of the most significant events in history occurred. I stood where over 200,000 died in one single moment. It was the single most disturbing moment of my life. A telling moment:

I dropped to the ground in tears at the foot of the Children's Memorial, near the bell ringer (which I did not ring; I didn't know I could). An old man came up to me (maybe 70 or 80 years old), patted me on the shoulder, and helped me up. He said, with the saddest look in his eyes, in heavily accented and broken English: "No more hate. Only peace." This was his One Wish: I will never forget him.

After returning, at a concert at Thornton Winery that next June, I talked with Dan Kuramoto (the band leader), and June Kuramoto (the only member of the band born in Japan, specifically: Saitama Prefecture [埼玉県]). June and I talked about Sadako's story and how it influenced two pieces of music: "Thousand Cranes" (on the album East (1989)), and "With Heart" (on her 2nd solo album The Way of Tea, which would be released a couple of months later). It was a very inspiring conversation; I'll never forget it.

You can read more about Sadako and the Thousand Cranes here.

I posted my notes from my trips online; you can E-mail me for the links if you're interested in the details and pictures. Interestingly enough, as a consequence of my trip, I was able to get several Japanese friends interested in the band's music, particularly the song "Thousand Cranes."