Takashi Nagai
Encyclopedia
was a physician
specializing in radiology
, a convert to Roman Catholicism, and a survivor of the atomic bombing
of Nagasaki
. His subsequent life of prayer
and service earned him the affectionate title "saint
of Urakami
".
Nagai was raised in the rural area of Mitoya
according to the teachings of Confucius
and the Shinto
religion. In 1920, he commenced his secondary studies, boarding at his cousins’ home, not far from Matsue. Occidental science and the materialistic spirit were dominant among his professors. He became impregnated with the surrounding atheism
.
In April 1928, he joined the Nagasaki Medical College
. It was during these studies that he embarked upon the spiritual journey that eventually led him from atheism to Catholicism. The university is located 500 meters from the Cathedral
, but Nagai had faith only in man, patriotic values, science and culture. He belonged to a group of poets and the university basketball team (he measured 1.71 m).
In 1930, a letter from his father informed him that his mother was seriously ill: a victim of brain haemorrhage, she was conscious but did not speak any more. He went to her bedside. She looked intensely into his eyes and died soon after (March 29). Takashi remained upset and believed in the existence of the soul
; his mother remained present in his mind. One of his professors spoke about the philosopher and scientist Blaise Pascal
, quoting a sentence from the Pensées
: "Man is only a reed, the weakest thing in nature; but he is a thinking reed." He began then to read the Pensées and think about human life. Gradually he changed, becoming more sensitive. In his third year of medical school, he was surprised by the stiff attitude of the professors at the bedsides of their patients.
During 1931, he constantly read Blaise Pascal and wondered about the life of Christians and prayer. He became interested in Christianity
while boarding with the Moriyama family, who for seven generations had been the hereditary leaders of a group of Kakure Kirishitan
s in Urakami
. Sadakichi Moriyama lived with his wife. Their only daughter, Midori, was a primary school teacher in a nearby city. Takashi learned that the construction of the cathedral was financed by the poor farmers and the Japanese Christian fishermen.
In 1932, he passed his examinations. But a disease of the right ear (signs of meningitis
) saddened him and made him partially deaf. He could not practice medicine and agreed to turn to radiology
research. At the time, as he was aware, safety standards were poorly understood, leading to a high casualty rate from radiation exposure among practitioners of the field.
In the evening of December 24, Midori Moriyama invited him to participate in midnight mass
. In the packed cathedral, Takashi was impressed by the people in prayer, their singing, their faith
and the sermon
. He would later say: "I felt Somebody close to me whom I did not still know." The next night, Midori was struck down by an acute appendicitis
. Takashi made a quick diagnosis, telephoned the surgeon at the hospital and took Midori there in his arms, through the snow. The operation was successful; Midori was safe.
In January 1933, Takashi began his military service. Before leaving for the campaign of Manchukou, he did his training in Hiroshima
during which a package was sent to him: it was Midori who offered him gloves and a Catholic
catechism
. During this period in Manchuria
, Takashi took care of wounded persons and of the sanitary service. He was strongly shaken in his faith in Japanese culture when he saw the exactions and the brutality of the Japanese soldiers on the Chinese civil population. On his return, he continued his reading of the Catholic catechism, the Bible
, and the Pensées of Blaise Pascal, and met a priest
, Father Moriyama. Midori continued to pray for him. Eventually, his progress took a decisive turn when he thought attentively about Blaise Pascal's words: "There is enough light for those who wish only to see, and enough darkness for those who have an opposite mood."
On June 9, 1934, he received baptism in the Catholic faith and chose the Christian first name, Paul. Thus he joined the Catholic community, among whom the life of the Japanese saint
Paul Miki strongly marked him. Then he asks Midori's hand in marriage
and she accepted. In August 1934, a Wednesday, at 7 a.m., during the usual first mass in the cathedral of Urakami, their wedding was celebrated in the presence of the priest and of two witnesses. Maria Midori Moriyama and Paul Takashi Nagai started their common life on the road to Eternity. Of their union were born four children: a boy, Makoto (April 3, 1935 - April 4, 2001) and three daughters, Ikuko (July 7, 1937 - 1939), Sasano who died shortly after her birth and Kayano (born in 1941).
Takashi received the sacrament
of confirmation in December 1934. Midori was president of the association of the women of the Urakami district. Takashi became a member of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
(SSVDP), discovered its founder and his writings (Frédéric Ozanam
), and visited his patients and the poor, to whom he brought assistance, comfort and food.
From 1931 to 1936, Brother Maximilian Kolbe
resided in a suburb of Nagasaki, where he started a monastery
. Takashi met him several times. The day after the birth of his daughter Ikuko, the war between Japan and China was declared. Takashi was mobilized as surgeon in the service of the 5th division. He suffered from the harsh winter in China but also in view of the distress of all victims of this war (civilians and soldiers, Chinese and Japanese), taking care of wounded persons and thinking about justice and peace. In 1939, he received by mail news of the death of his father (in February 4th) and that of his daughter Ikuko. He remained in China until 1940. On his return, he went to the grave of his parents. On the station platform of Nagasaki he found his son, accompanied by a friend. He had difficulty in recognizing him: Makoto had changed! Then he began again his researches and his courses at the university.
Japan having declared the war on the United States, on December 8, 1941 Professor Nagai had a somber presentiment: his city could be destroyed during this war. He obtained his doctorate in 1944. On April 26, 1945, an air raid on Nagasaki left numerous victims. The hospital was overwhelmed. Takashi spent his days and nights serving wounded persons in his radiology department. In June 1945, he was diagnosed with leukemia
and given a life expectancy of two to three years. This disease was probably due to his exposure to X-rays during radiological examinations which he performed by direct observation, since films were not available any more during this war period. He spoke with Midori and Makoto. With their faith in God
, they remained united to live together this event.
In the evening of August 6, Doctor Nagai learned that an atomic bomb had been dropped by the Americans on Hiroshima. With Midori, he decided to take their children away to Matsuyama, 6 km away in the countryside, accompanied by Midori's mother. In the morning of August 8, under the smiling glance of Midori, Takashi left for his work and night duty at the hospital. Having forgotten his lunch, he returned home unexpectedly and surprised Midori in tears. They said "goodbye"; it would be a "farewell"…
On August 9, 1945, at 11:02 am, the second atomic bomb launched by the Americans on Japan struck Nagasaki. At the time of the atomic bombing, Dr. Nagai was working in the radiology department of Nagasaki Medical College Hospital. He received a serious injury that severed his right temporal artery, but joined the rest of the surviving medical staff in dedicating themselves to treating the atomic bomb victims
, and later wrote a 100-page medical report about his observations.
On August 11, Takashi Nagai found his house destroyed and, among a heap of ashes, burnt bones: Midori and her rosary
close to her. Her maiden name was Maria Midori Moriyama. Paul Takashi Nagai had her married name inscribed on the cross at her grave: "Marina Nagai Midori, died on August 9, 1945, at age 37" (Marina being a diminutive of Maria).
On September 8, 1945, Takashi Nagai was found to be seriously affected by leukemia. He was confined to bed for a month, with death for a time seeming close. He returned to the district of Urakami (the hypocenter
of the bomb) on October 15, 1945. He had a small hut built from pieces of his old house and named it “Nyokodo” (Nyoko-dō after Jesus
' words "Love your neighbor as yourself"). He remained there with his two surviving children (Makoto and Kayano), his mother-in-law and two other relatives . This hut measured a little more than six tatami
, and was built for him in 1947 by a carpenter related to the Moriyama family. When the local Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
(SSVDP) offered to build him another house, he asked them to slightly enlarge the existing hut to accommodate his brother and his brother's family, and to build a simple two-tatami teahouse
-like structure for himself. He styled the smaller hut a hermitage
and spent his remaining years there in prayer and contemplation.
For six months, he observed mourning for Midori and let his beard and hair grow. On November 23, 1945, a mass was celebrated, in front of the ruins of the cathedral, for the victims of the bomb. Takashi gave a speech filled with faith, comparing the victims to a sacred offering to obtain peace. In the following years, Nagai resumed teaching and also began to write a number of books. The first of these, The Bells of Nagasaki
, was completed by the first anniversary of the bombing; although he failed to find a publisher at first, eventually it became a best-seller and the basis for a top box-office movie in Japan. In July 1946, he collapsed on the station platform. Now disabled, he was henceforth confined to bed.
In 1948, he used 50,000 yen paid by "Kyushu
Times" to plant 1,000 three-year-old cherry trees in the district of Urakami to transform this devastated land into a "Hill of Flowers". Even though some have been replaced, these cherry trees are still called "Nagai Senbonzakura" (1,000 cherry trees of Nagai) and their flowers decorate the houses of Urakami in spring.
On December 3, 1949, he was made freeman of the city of Nagasaki, in spite of protests due to his Catholic faith. He received a visit from Helen Keller
. He was also visited, in 1949, by Emperor Hirohito
and by Cardinal
Gilroy, emissary of the Pope
.
On May 1, 1951, he asked to be transported to the university so that the medical students could observe the last moments of a man preparing to die from leukemia. But he died shortly after his arrival: it was 21:30 pm. He died at the age of 43. On May 3, 20,000 persons attended in his funeral in front of the cathedral. The city of Nagasaki observed one minute of silence while the bells of all the religious buildings rang. On May 14, an official ceremony took place in memory of Doctor Nagai and his remains were interred in the Sakamoto international cemetery.
He left behind a voluminous output of essays, memoirs, drawings and calligraphy on various themes including God, war, death, medicine, and orphanhood. These enjoyed a large readership during the American Occupation of Japan
(1945-1952) as spiritual chronicles of the atomic bomb experience.
His "Nyokodo", with the addition of a library, became a museum in 1952: "Nagasaki City Nagai Takashi Memorial Museum". After restoration in 2000, it is managed today by Tokusaburo Nagai, grandson of Takashi Nagai and son of Makoto Nagai.
(trans. William Johnston); and Leaving My Beloved Children Behind (trans. Maurice M. Tatsuoka and Tsuneyoshi Takai). His works were recently republished in new Japanese editions by Paulist Press.
He was not an un-nuanced pacifist. He says in Leaving These Children Behind, "Whatever people may say, the war compelled me to undertake hardships along with all the rest of the people. ... I gladly bore them for my country's sake."
Much of Nagai's writing is spiritual; Christian reflections on the experience (or, just as often, imagined future experience) of himself and the people around him, especially his children, in the aftermath of the war. His intensely personal meditations are often addressed to his children or to God, and he works out his own spiritual issues on the page as he writes in a visceral and uncensored prose. Nagai's more technical writings, in Atomic Bomb Rescue and Relief Report (Nagasaki Idai genshi bakudan kyuugo houkoku), were discovered in 1970.
In August 2010, film production company Major Oak Entertainment Ltd announced that they are producing a forthcoming feature length movie on the life of Dr. Nagai, based on the writings that he left behind. Entitled “All That Remains”, the movie will be directed by Ian and Dominic Higgins and scheduled for release in 2012.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
specializing in radiology
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
, a convert to Roman Catholicism, and a survivor of the atomic bombing
Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...
of Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
. His subsequent life of prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
and service earned him the affectionate title "saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
of Urakami
Urakami
Urakami was an area in the northern part of the city of Nagasaki. It is the exact ground zero where the atomic bomb exploded on August 9, 1945. It is the site of Urakami Cathedral, which was the largest cathedral in East Asia before it was destroyed by the bomb and then rebuilt.-External links:...
".
Life
Takashi Nagai was born in 1908 on February 3 (February 2 according to occidental time) after a difficult birth that endangered both his own and his mother’s life. His family included doctors. His father, Noboru Nagai, was trained in Western medicine; his paternal grandfather, Fumitaka Nagai, was a practitioner of traditional herbal medicine. His mother, Tsune, was the descendant of an old family of samurai. In Japanese, Takashi means “nobility”.Nagai was raised in the rural area of Mitoya
Mitoya, Shimane
was a town located in Iishi District, Shimane, Japan.On November 1, 2004 Mitoya was merged with the towns of Daitō, Kamo and Kisuki, all from Ōhara District, the town of Kakeya, and the village of Yoshida, all from Iishi District, to form the new city of Unnan....
according to the teachings of Confucius
Confucius
Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
and the Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
religion. In 1920, he commenced his secondary studies, boarding at his cousins’ home, not far from Matsue. Occidental science and the materialistic spirit were dominant among his professors. He became impregnated with the surrounding atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
.
In April 1928, he joined the Nagasaki Medical College
Nagasaki University
is a national university of Japan. Its nickname is Chōdai . The main campus is located in Bunkyo-machi, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.- History :...
. It was during these studies that he embarked upon the spiritual journey that eventually led him from atheism to Catholicism. The university is located 500 meters from the Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
, but Nagai had faith only in man, patriotic values, science and culture. He belonged to a group of poets and the university basketball team (he measured 1.71 m).
In 1930, a letter from his father informed him that his mother was seriously ill: a victim of brain haemorrhage, she was conscious but did not speak any more. He went to her bedside. She looked intensely into his eyes and died soon after (March 29). Takashi remained upset and believed in the existence of the soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
; his mother remained present in his mind. One of his professors spoke about the philosopher and scientist Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal
Blaise Pascal , was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic philosopher. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen...
, quoting a sentence from the Pensées
Pensées
The Pensées represented a defense of the Christian religion by Blaise Pascal, the renowned 17th century philosopher and mathematician. Pascal's religious conversion led him into a life of asceticism, and the Pensées was in many ways his life's work. "Pascal's Wager" is found here...
: "Man is only a reed, the weakest thing in nature; but he is a thinking reed." He began then to read the Pensées and think about human life. Gradually he changed, becoming more sensitive. In his third year of medical school, he was surprised by the stiff attitude of the professors at the bedsides of their patients.
During 1931, he constantly read Blaise Pascal and wondered about the life of Christians and prayer. He became interested in Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
while boarding with the Moriyama family, who for seven generations had been the hereditary leaders of a group of Kakure Kirishitan
Kakure Kirishitan
is a modern term for a member of the Japanese Catholic Church that went underground after the Shimabara Rebellion in the 1630s.-History:Kakure Kirishitans are called the "hidden" Christians because they continued to practice Christianity in secret. They worshipped in secret rooms in private homes...
s in Urakami
Urakami
Urakami was an area in the northern part of the city of Nagasaki. It is the exact ground zero where the atomic bomb exploded on August 9, 1945. It is the site of Urakami Cathedral, which was the largest cathedral in East Asia before it was destroyed by the bomb and then rebuilt.-External links:...
. Sadakichi Moriyama lived with his wife. Their only daughter, Midori, was a primary school teacher in a nearby city. Takashi learned that the construction of the cathedral was financed by the poor farmers and the Japanese Christian fishermen.
In 1932, he passed his examinations. But a disease of the right ear (signs of meningitis
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known collectively as the meninges. The inflammation may be caused by infection with viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms, and less commonly by certain drugs...
) saddened him and made him partially deaf. He could not practice medicine and agreed to turn to radiology
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
research. At the time, as he was aware, safety standards were poorly understood, leading to a high casualty rate from radiation exposure among practitioners of the field.
In the evening of December 24, Midori Moriyama invited him to participate in midnight mass
Midnight Mass
Midnight Mass is a Christmas Eve liturgical tradition in the Roman Catholic church.Midnight Mass may also refer to:* Midnight, Mass., a Vertigo comics series* Midnight Mass, a 2004 novel by F...
. In the packed cathedral, Takashi was impressed by the people in prayer, their singing, their faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
and the sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
. He would later say: "I felt Somebody close to me whom I did not still know." The next night, Midori was struck down by an acute appendicitis
Appendicitis
Appendicitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the appendix. It is classified as a medical emergency and many cases require removal of the inflamed appendix, either by laparotomy or laparoscopy. Untreated, mortality is high, mainly because of the risk of rupture leading to...
. Takashi made a quick diagnosis, telephoned the surgeon at the hospital and took Midori there in his arms, through the snow. The operation was successful; Midori was safe.
In January 1933, Takashi began his military service. Before leaving for the campaign of Manchukou, he did his training in Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
during which a package was sent to him: it was Midori who offered him gloves and a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
. During this period in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
, Takashi took care of wounded persons and of the sanitary service. He was strongly shaken in his faith in Japanese culture when he saw the exactions and the brutality of the Japanese soldiers on the Chinese civil population. On his return, he continued his reading of the Catholic catechism, the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, and the Pensées of Blaise Pascal, and met a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, Father Moriyama. Midori continued to pray for him. Eventually, his progress took a decisive turn when he thought attentively about Blaise Pascal's words: "There is enough light for those who wish only to see, and enough darkness for those who have an opposite mood."
On June 9, 1934, he received baptism in the Catholic faith and chose the Christian first name, Paul. Thus he joined the Catholic community, among whom the life of the Japanese saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
Paul Miki strongly marked him. Then he asks Midori's hand in marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
and she accepted. In August 1934, a Wednesday, at 7 a.m., during the usual first mass in the cathedral of Urakami, their wedding was celebrated in the presence of the priest and of two witnesses. Maria Midori Moriyama and Paul Takashi Nagai started their common life on the road to Eternity. Of their union were born four children: a boy, Makoto (April 3, 1935 - April 4, 2001) and three daughters, Ikuko (July 7, 1937 - 1939), Sasano who died shortly after her birth and Kayano (born in 1941).
Takashi received the sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
of confirmation in December 1934. Midori was president of the association of the women of the Urakami district. Takashi became a member of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
The St Vincent de Paul Society is an international Roman Catholic voluntary organization dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing direct practical assistance to anyone in need. Active in England & Wales since 1844, today it continues to address social and material need in all...
(SSVDP), discovered its founder and his writings (Frédéric Ozanam
Frédéric Ozanam
Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam was a French scholar. He founded with fellow students the Conference of Charity, later known as the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul...
), and visited his patients and the poor, to whom he brought assistance, comfort and food.
From 1931 to 1936, Brother Maximilian Kolbe
Maximilian Kolbe
Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe OFM Conv was a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar, who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the Nazi German concentration camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland during World War II.He was canonized on 10 October 1982 by Pope John Paul II, and...
resided in a suburb of Nagasaki, where he started a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
. Takashi met him several times. The day after the birth of his daughter Ikuko, the war between Japan and China was declared. Takashi was mobilized as surgeon in the service of the 5th division. He suffered from the harsh winter in China but also in view of the distress of all victims of this war (civilians and soldiers, Chinese and Japanese), taking care of wounded persons and thinking about justice and peace. In 1939, he received by mail news of the death of his father (in February 4th) and that of his daughter Ikuko. He remained in China until 1940. On his return, he went to the grave of his parents. On the station platform of Nagasaki he found his son, accompanied by a friend. He had difficulty in recognizing him: Makoto had changed! Then he began again his researches and his courses at the university.
Japan having declared the war on the United States, on December 8, 1941 Professor Nagai had a somber presentiment: his city could be destroyed during this war. He obtained his doctorate in 1944. On April 26, 1945, an air raid on Nagasaki left numerous victims. The hospital was overwhelmed. Takashi spent his days and nights serving wounded persons in his radiology department. In June 1945, he was diagnosed with leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
and given a life expectancy of two to three years. This disease was probably due to his exposure to X-rays during radiological examinations which he performed by direct observation, since films were not available any more during this war period. He spoke with Midori and Makoto. With their faith in God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, they remained united to live together this event.
In the evening of August 6, Doctor Nagai learned that an atomic bomb had been dropped by the Americans on Hiroshima. With Midori, he decided to take their children away to Matsuyama, 6 km away in the countryside, accompanied by Midori's mother. In the morning of August 8, under the smiling glance of Midori, Takashi left for his work and night duty at the hospital. Having forgotten his lunch, he returned home unexpectedly and surprised Midori in tears. They said "goodbye"; it would be a "farewell"…
On August 9, 1945, at 11:02 am, the second atomic bomb launched by the Americans on Japan struck Nagasaki. At the time of the atomic bombing, Dr. Nagai was working in the radiology department of Nagasaki Medical College Hospital. He received a serious injury that severed his right temporal artery, but joined the rest of the surviving medical staff in dedicating themselves to treating the atomic bomb victims
Hibakusha
The surviving victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are called , a Japanese word that literally translates to "explosion-affected people"...
, and later wrote a 100-page medical report about his observations.
On August 11, Takashi Nagai found his house destroyed and, among a heap of ashes, burnt bones: Midori and her rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
close to her. Her maiden name was Maria Midori Moriyama. Paul Takashi Nagai had her married name inscribed on the cross at her grave: "Marina Nagai Midori, died on August 9, 1945, at age 37" (Marina being a diminutive of Maria).
On September 8, 1945, Takashi Nagai was found to be seriously affected by leukemia. He was confined to bed for a month, with death for a time seeming close. He returned to the district of Urakami (the hypocenter
Hypocenter
The hypocenter refers to the site of an earthquake or a nuclear explosion...
of the bomb) on October 15, 1945. He had a small hut built from pieces of his old house and named it “Nyokodo” (Nyoko-dō after Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
' words "Love your neighbor as yourself"). He remained there with his two surviving children (Makoto and Kayano), his mother-in-law and two other relatives . This hut measured a little more than six tatami
Tatami
A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Traditionally made of rice straw to form the core , with a covering of woven soft rush straw, tatami are made in standard sizes, with the length exactly twice the width...
, and was built for him in 1947 by a carpenter related to the Moriyama family. When the local Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
The St Vincent de Paul Society is an international Roman Catholic voluntary organization dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing direct practical assistance to anyone in need. Active in England & Wales since 1844, today it continues to address social and material need in all...
(SSVDP) offered to build him another house, he asked them to slightly enlarge the existing hut to accommodate his brother and his brother's family, and to build a simple two-tatami teahouse
Chashitsu
In Japanese tradition, architectural spaces designed to be used for tea ceremony gatherings are known as chashitsu ....
-like structure for himself. He styled the smaller hut a hermitage
Hermitage (religious retreat)
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
and spent his remaining years there in prayer and contemplation.
For six months, he observed mourning for Midori and let his beard and hair grow. On November 23, 1945, a mass was celebrated, in front of the ruins of the cathedral, for the victims of the bomb. Takashi gave a speech filled with faith, comparing the victims to a sacred offering to obtain peace. In the following years, Nagai resumed teaching and also began to write a number of books. The first of these, The Bells of Nagasaki
The Bells of Nagasaki
is a 1949 book by Takashi Nagai. It vividly describes his experiences as a survivor of the Atomic bombing of Nagasaki. It was translated into English by William Johnston. The title refers to the bells of Urakami Cathedral, of which Nagai writes:...
, was completed by the first anniversary of the bombing; although he failed to find a publisher at first, eventually it became a best-seller and the basis for a top box-office movie in Japan. In July 1946, he collapsed on the station platform. Now disabled, he was henceforth confined to bed.
In 1948, he used 50,000 yen paid by "Kyushu
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
Times" to plant 1,000 three-year-old cherry trees in the district of Urakami to transform this devastated land into a "Hill of Flowers". Even though some have been replaced, these cherry trees are still called "Nagai Senbonzakura" (1,000 cherry trees of Nagai) and their flowers decorate the houses of Urakami in spring.
On December 3, 1949, he was made freeman of the city of Nagasaki, in spite of protests due to his Catholic faith. He received a visit from Helen Keller
Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree....
. He was also visited, in 1949, by Emperor Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
and by Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Gilroy, emissary of the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
.
On May 1, 1951, he asked to be transported to the university so that the medical students could observe the last moments of a man preparing to die from leukemia. But he died shortly after his arrival: it was 21:30 pm. He died at the age of 43. On May 3, 20,000 persons attended in his funeral in front of the cathedral. The city of Nagasaki observed one minute of silence while the bells of all the religious buildings rang. On May 14, an official ceremony took place in memory of Doctor Nagai and his remains were interred in the Sakamoto international cemetery.
He left behind a voluminous output of essays, memoirs, drawings and calligraphy on various themes including God, war, death, medicine, and orphanhood. These enjoyed a large readership during the American Occupation of Japan
Occupied Japan
At the end of World War II, Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers, led by the United States with contributions also from Australia, India, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. This foreign presence marked the first time in its history that the island nation had been occupied by a foreign power...
(1945-1952) as spiritual chronicles of the atomic bomb experience.
His "Nyokodo", with the addition of a library, became a museum in 1952: "Nagasaki City Nagai Takashi Memorial Museum". After restoration in 2000, it is managed today by Tokusaburo Nagai, grandson of Takashi Nagai and son of Makoto Nagai.
Writings
Nagai's books have been translated into numerous languages, including Chinese, Korean, French, and German. Only three of his literary works are currently available in English: We of Nagasaki, a compilation of atomic-bomb victim testimonies edited by Nagai; The Bells of NagasakiThe Bells of Nagasaki
is a 1949 book by Takashi Nagai. It vividly describes his experiences as a survivor of the Atomic bombing of Nagasaki. It was translated into English by William Johnston. The title refers to the bells of Urakami Cathedral, of which Nagai writes:...
(trans. William Johnston); and Leaving My Beloved Children Behind (trans. Maurice M. Tatsuoka and Tsuneyoshi Takai). His works were recently republished in new Japanese editions by Paulist Press.
He was not an un-nuanced pacifist. He says in Leaving These Children Behind, "Whatever people may say, the war compelled me to undertake hardships along with all the rest of the people. ... I gladly bore them for my country's sake."
Much of Nagai's writing is spiritual; Christian reflections on the experience (or, just as often, imagined future experience) of himself and the people around him, especially his children, in the aftermath of the war. His intensely personal meditations are often addressed to his children or to God, and he works out his own spiritual issues on the page as he writes in a visceral and uncensored prose. Nagai's more technical writings, in Atomic Bomb Rescue and Relief Report (Nagasaki Idai genshi bakudan kyuugo houkoku), were discovered in 1970.
In August 2010, film production company Major Oak Entertainment Ltd announced that they are producing a forthcoming feature length movie on the life of Dr. Nagai, based on the writings that he left behind. Entitled “All That Remains”, the movie will be directed by Ian and Dominic Higgins and scheduled for release in 2012.
Partial Bibliography
- The Bells of NagasakiThe Bells of Nagasakiis a 1949 book by Takashi Nagai. It vividly describes his experiences as a survivor of the Atomic bombing of Nagasaki. It was translated into English by William Johnston. The title refers to the bells of Urakami Cathedral, of which Nagai writes:...
(長崎の鐘 Nagasaki no Kane), August 1946. - "Records of the Atomic Wasteland" (原子野録音 "Genshino Rokuon"), a series in the Japanese journal Knights of Mary (聖母の騎士 Seibo no Kishi), 1947–1951.
- For That Which Passeth Not Away (亡びぬものを Horobinu Mono O), 1948.
- The Rosary Chain (ロザリオの鎖 Rozario no Kazari), 1948.
- Leaving These Children Behind (この子を残して Kono Ko o Nokoshite), 1948.
- The River of Life (生命の河 Seimei no Kawa), 1948.
- The Flower-Blooming Hill (花咲く丘 Hana Saku Oka), 1949.
- My Precious Child (いとし子よ Itoshi Ko Yo), 1949.
- Otometōge (乙女峠), 1951.
- Nyokodō Essays (如己堂随筆 Nyokodō Zuihitsu), 1957.
- Village Doctor (村医 Son-i), 1978.
- Tower of Peace (平和塔 Heiwa no Tō), 1979.
- "Flowers of Nagasaki" (長崎の花 "Nagasaki no Hana"), Daily Tokyo Times series, 1950.
- NOTE: Dates of publication do not reflect the order in which the works were written; some were published posthumously, and all have been subsequently re-compiled for the Paulist editions.