August 07 1995
Thursday, Aug. 9, 1945, 11:02 a.m., is etched forever in the memory of Nagasaki. It was then that a plutonium atomic bomb dropped by an American warplane exploded a short distance from Urakami cathedral, leveled much of the city and burned to death 75,000 people.
Survivors included the “walking dead,” who suffered radiation effects from which they died days, months or years later. Among them was Takashi Nagai, a Catholic doctor whose heroic relief work enabled many to live.
Diagnosed as having leukemia the year before, he suffered severe head injuries in the bombing, which killed his wife and destroyed his home, but continued to attend injured survivors untiringly.
His son Makoto, then 11, and daughter Kayano, then 5, survived the bomb, having left at 7 a.m. to walk to their grandmother´s farm in a valley seven kilometers away along a mountain road.
The Aug. 4 issue of ASIA FOCUS carried an interview with Makato Nagai, who worked almost 40 years as a journalist for Jiji News Service in Tokyo.
ASIA FOCUS: What do you remember of that August 9 morning?
MAKOTO NAGAI: My sister and I walked the two hours to grandmother´s on the hot summer road. At 11, I thought a bomb struck the sun. The stove in the house fell over. Thunder followed and intense heat enveloped the village. We soon knew of the destruction of Nagasaki from escaping victims who came in our direction. It was a fire lake in the city.
The next day I returned with grandmother to Urakami, where our cathedral had been, carrying water and vegetables. My father was organizing rescue operations with his hospital staff that traveled to outlying areas to treat survivors. He returned to Urakami Aug. 24 and settled in a little make-shift hut backed by a rock.
My father was extremely weak. I had to carry him on my back to the latrine and bath facility as well as bring water and food daily for us. My father was unable to move himself, and we shared life in the hut together.
What do you remember most about your father?
He was a doctor and never complained. His profession demanded a stoic reaction to the disaster. Spleen and liver troubles added to his leukemia, yet he was determined to record events as he remembered them.
He wrote “The Bells of Nagasaki” on his back with the text above his head. I helped him by massaging his body, which had developed bed sores. He was to live six more years in extremely difficult circumstances. I never realized my parents´ love for each other. My father gave me a lesson of how to pray, as he had strong faith, devotion to Mary and patience in his suffering.
One incident I recall was Sunday Benediction at Urakami Cathedral. My father made me promise to be there for the 3 p.m. ceremony. I was playing baseball and was late going to church. When my father asked if I had attended, I told him I was late. He was very angry and scolded me for not keeping my promise.
When my father´s brother returned from Manchuria in 1948 with his large family, we moved to his home. “The Bells of Nagasaki” was published in 1949, and my father died May 1, 1951, fully conscious to the end as he prayed, “Jesus, Mary, help at the hour of death.”
He was actively writing till one week before his death. His visitors included Helen Keller and Brother Zeno. Before the war he had known Father (Saint Maximilian) Kolbe in Nagasaki, who was later to die at Auschwitz.
What changes have you seen in the Catholic Church in Japan over the years?
I come from Nagasaki´s Catholic tradition with its heritage of martyrs and churches overflowing with people. My present church in Yokohama has a much smaller congregation. We really have not increased in numbers as a Japanese Church, as we are still in the 400,000s.
The sermons are shorter and easier to understand than when I was a boy. Many of the priests are older.
We are weak with our young people, perhaps because of the age factor of clergy. I myself plan to return to Nagasaki and take up work for the Church in building God´s kingdom. I have long been associated with the St. Vincent de Paul Society working for the poor.
What is the message of Nagasaki and the 50th anniversary of the atomic bombing?
It was a terrible event that must never happen again to human beings. My father spoke eloquently. You remember his words from his book:
“Is there not a profound relationship between the destruction of Nagasaki and the end of the war? Nagasaki, the only holy place in all Japan — was it not chosen as victim, a pure land, to be slaughtered and burned on the altar of sacrifice to expiate the sins committed by humanity in the Second World War?
“Our Church of Nagasaki kept the faith during 400 years of persecution when religion was proscribed and the blood of martyrs flowed freely. During the war the same Church never ceased to pray day and night for a lasting peace. Was it not, then, the one unblemished land that had to be offered on the altar of God? Thanks to the sacrifice of this land, many millions who would otherwise have fallen victim to the ravages of war have been saved.
“How noble, how splendid was that holocaust of August 9 when flames soared up from the cathedral, dispelling the darkness of war and bringing the light of peace! In the very depth of our grief we reverently saw here something beautiful, something pure, something sublime. Eight thousand people, together with their priests, burning with pure smoke, entered into eternal life. … Let us give thanks that through this sacrifice peace was given to the world and freedom of religion to Japan.”
I think the Aum (cult) tragedy of today will help people consider what true religion is. It is the Buddhist command not to kill. It is (Jesuit Saint) Francis Xavier, who brought nothing to Japan but love for others. It is Christ on the cross, offering his life for people and the promise of resurrection. “He who takes a sword will perish by the sword.”
Nagasaki cries, “Never let this happen to children again!”