16-05-2025
2 bells to ring again at famed Nagasaki church after 80 years
The recast bell for Urakami Cathedral arrives from the United States. Archbishop Michiaki Nakamura of the Archdiocese of Nagasaki stands on the right and on the left is head priest Kenichi Yamamura of Urakami Cathedral. The photo was taken in Nagasaki on May 15. (Kengo Hiyoshi)
NAGASAKI—Eighty years after the atomic bomb destroyed one of the bells at Urakami Cathedral here, the pair will ring again thanks to the grandson of a doctor who worked on the Manhattan Project and American Catholics.
James L. Nolan Jr., a sociology professor at Williams College in the United States, led the project to recast the bell. The 62-year-old professor is the grandson of a doctor who participated in the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb.
The bell of Urakami Cathedral, which was destroyed by the atomic bomb on Aug. 9, 1945, was recast through the project with support from U.S. Catholics. The new bell was unveiled by the archdiocese of Nagasaki on May 15.
The church has used its other bell since the cathedral was rebuilt after the war.
The two bells are scheduled to ring together on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing in Nagasaki on Aug. 9.
Urakami Cathedral, known as the 'Eastern world's largest cathedral' with twin bell towers at the time, was only 500 meters from the hypocenter of the atomic bombing.
The building was completely destroyed, as was the bell housed in the north tower. The south tower bell, which was found under the debris, has been used since the church was rebuilt in 1959.
Nolan's desire to recast the north tower bell started when he was working on a book on the atomic bombings. Nolan visited Nagasaki and learned that one of the bells at the cathedral had been destroyed.
In a show of solidarity for their brethren in Nagasaki, Catholics in the United States contributed donations for the recasting project.
The new bell has the same dimensions as the destroyed one, with a height of 66 centimeters, a diameter of 80.7 cm, a weight of 224 kilograms, and is made of bronze.
The atomic bombing in Nagasaki is said to have killed about 8,500 Catholics living around Urakami Cathedral.
'The bell will continue to ring as a prayer for the victims and for peace,' said Archbishop Michiaki Nakamura of the Archdiocese of Nagasaki.
Nolan said that he was happy to have an opportunity to express his desire for forgiveness to those who suffered from the atomic bombing.
The bell will be set in the north tower of Urakami Cathedral around mid-July. The church plans to ring the two bells at 11:02 a.m. on Aug. 9, the exact time the atomic bomb detonated 80 years ago.
