Tracing Japan's modern history regarding war and Hansen's Disease, we can see that the war intensified the isolation of Leprosy patients and made the suffering caused by isolation more severe.
This exhibition will display materials related to "Sanatoriums during wartime," "Sanatoriums under Japanese colonial rule," and the Battle of Okinawa. It will also trace the experiences of Leprosy recovered persons developed Hansen's Disease while serving in the military and were forced to enter Leprosy sanatorium. This exhibition was planned in the hope that by touching on and passing on memories of the war, we can help create a society in which human rights are respected and discrimination on the grounds of illness and disability is not repeated. Please come and see it.

(Top left) A branding iron used at a sanatorium on Sorok Island during the Japanese colonial period. It was reportedly used as a torture tool, pressed against the shoulders and foreheads of patients.
(Photo by Nobuyuki Yaegashi, 2005, provided by Ningen to Rekishisha, "Kizuna: Scars of Leprosy Prevention Law")
Upper center) Seiichiro Tachibana, from Hiroshima to Manchuria (1942, Shokeikan Collection)
Top right) Trunk made by Seiichiro Tachibana during his time at the Cowra concentration camp (around 1945, owned by the Shokeikan Museum)
Bottom left) Ashtray made from bullet casings (after 1945, Okinawa Airakuen)
Bottom right) Bandages made from ripped kimono (date unknown, Zensei Hospital)
*Flyer front) Prosthetic leg (year unknown)

Outline of the event

[Date]
July 19th (Sat) - August 31st (Sun), 2025
Please check the latest information before visiting.

【venue】
The National Hansen's Disease Museum 1st floor Gallery

[Closed days]
Mondays and the day after national holidays (open if Monday is a national holiday)
Free admission

[Organizer]
The National Hansen's Disease Museum (War Wounded and Sick Museum)

Event Overview

Gallery talk by the curator※Finished

*An additional session will be held as participation is expected to exceed capacity.
The dates and times are as follows: (Admission is free, no advance reservations required)

July 19th (Saturday), August 11th (Monday/holiday), 2:00pm to 2:40pm each

[Friday, August 15th]
・13:00-13:40
・14:00-14:40

[Sunday, August 24th]
・14:00-14:40
・3:00 PM to 3:40 PM

[Saturday, August 30th]
・14:00-14:40
・3:00 PM to 3:40 PM

Each session is limited to approximately 30 people, and we may need to stagger the sessions depending on the number of attendees.

Talk event: "Contacting and passing on the memories of war"※Finished

Lecture by Shokeikan Storyteller: "Lives shattered by captivity and isolation"※Finished

He was taken prisoner of war during the war and was diagnosed Hansen's Disease in an internment camp in Australia.
We will tell the story of Seiichiro Tachibana, who was forced to enter Leprosy sanatorium after the war but lived his life to the fullest.

Download the flyer here

The above content may change without notice. Please check this website for details.