The Bells of Nagasaki

The Bells of Nagasaki

The Bells of Nagasaki
Author	Takashi Nagai
Original title	Nagasaki no Kane
Translator	William Johnston
Country	Japan, United States
Language	Japanese, English
Genre	Non-fiction Essay
Publisher	Kodansha International
Publication date	January 1949
Published in English	August 1994
Media type	Book, Music, Film
Pages	118
ISBN	978-4-7700-1845-8

Nagasaki no Kane
The Bells of Nagasaki
Directed by	Hideo Ōba
Written by	Takashi Nagai
Starring	Masao Wakahara, Yumeji Tsukioka, Keiko Tsushima, Osamu Takizawa, Kōji Mitsui
Music by	Yuji Koseki
Cinematography	Toshio Ubukata
Edited by	Kaneto Shindō, Sekiro Mitsuhata, Sugako Hashida
Distributed by	Shochiku Ōfuna
Release dates	September 23, 1950 (1950-09-23)
Running time	94 min.
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

The Bells of Nagasaki (長崎の鐘, Nagasaki no Kane) 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:

These are the bells that did not ring for weeks or months after the disaster. May there never be a time when they do not ring! May they ring out this message of peace until the morning of the day on which the world ends.'

Initially, the book was refused publication by the American forces occupying Japan, until an appendix was added describing Japanese atrocities in the Philippines. This appendix was later removed.

Records and CDs

• July 1, 1949, Song by Ichiro Fujiyama, Mariko Ike, Written by Hachiro Sato, Composed by Yuji Koseki
• September 1949, Song by Yoshie Fujiwara, Written and Composed by Kazuo Uemoto
• 1996, Song by Yumi Aikawa, Composed by Yuji Koseki

Film

Released September 23, 1950, Produced by Shochiku
Directed by Hideo Ōba
Scripted by Kaneto Shindo, Sekiro Mitsuhata, Sugako Hashida
Composed by Yuji Koseki

Cast

• Masao Wakahara as Takashi Nagai
• Yumeji Tsukioka as Midori Nagai
• Keiko Tsushima as Sachiko Yamada
• Osamu Takizawa as Professor Asakura
• Kōji Mitsui as Yamashita

Modern retelling

In 2011, UK film Production Company Pixel Revolution Films announced plans to produce a film on the life of Dr. Nagai. Directors Ian and Dominic Higgins cited The Bells of Nagasaki (the book) as one of the main inspirations for making the film. The film is titled All That Remains and is due to be released late 2015 or early 2016. It is the first Western film to deal directly with the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

See also

• Urakami Cathedral
• Atomic bombing of Nagasaki
• Takashi Nagai

External links

• Nagai Takashi Memorial Museum-Nyokodo
• NHK Peace Archives
• Pixel Revolution Films 2015 film production on the life of Takashi Nagai