7 days ago
Nagasaki: 80 Years After Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki, Both Bells at Famed Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki Set to Ring Again
NAGASAKI — After the arrival of a new bell to replace the one damaged in the 1945 atomic bombing, the two bells at Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki are set to ring out today, to mark 80 years since the bombing.
The cathedral and its two towers, about 500 meters from the hypocenter, collapsed in the bombing on Aug. 9, 1945. The north tower's bell fell into a nearby river and was severely damaged. The south tower's bell was found nearly intact in the rubble and was hung in the tower when the cathedral was rebuilt in 1959. The north tower remained without a new bell was donated as part of a project launched by James Nolan L. Jr., a professor at Williams College in the United States. The 62-year-old is the grandson of James F. Nolan, who was involved in the Manhattan Project, a U.S. program for the research and development of atomic bombs.
Nolan Jr. started the project after meeting Kojiro Moriuchi, a second-generation atomic bomb survivor from Nagasaki. On July 17, the two rang the new bell together at a ceremony marking the restoration of the bell.
Like the bell that was damaged, the new bell measures 66 centimeters tall and 80.7 centimeters in diameter and weighs 224 kilograms. The bronze bell is inscribed with Latin words praising God and an image of a Native American the ceremony, Nolan Jr. said that the sound of the bell was more beautiful than he expected. He added that he hopes it will become a 'symbol of peace, unity and hope.' Moriuchi, 72, who proposed the restoration of the bell to Nolan, also said that he was impressed with the echo of the bell. 'I hope the people of Nagasaki will hear how the two bells resonate with each other on Aug. 9,' he said.
Moriuchi's father was exposed to the atomic bombing while working in a bomb shelter at Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 90.
One of Moriuchi's ancestors was among the 'hidden Christians' in the now Urakami district around the works as a guide at Atomic Bomb Museum at Yamazato Elementary School, which was about 600 meters away from the hypocenter.
Nolan Jr.'s grandfather James Nolan was a medical doctor involved in radiation control and safety measures for the atomic bomb project. In the month following the bombings, he visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a member of a team investigating the effects of the bombs. He left behind a photograph of Urakami Cathedral as part of his estate.
The professor researched his grandfather's activities and published in 2020 a book examining the ethical and medical issues faced by doctors involved in the development of the atomic bombs. He also served as a visiting professor at Nagasaki Junshin Catholic University in Nagasaki from October to December 2022.
'Sound may reach'
When Nolan Jr. visited Japan to research the history of hidden Christians and the atomic bombings in May 2023, he met with Moriuchi for an interview. The professor is said to have asked Moriuchi if there is anything he can do for the people of Urakami.
Having heard from his father about the solemn sound of the cathedral's two bells, Moriuchi suggested Nolan to the donation of a bell saying, 'the sound of the bell may reach all those who perished in Urakami because of the atomic bombing.'It is estimated that about 8,500 of 12,000 total parishioners were killed in the atomic bombing in the area around the cathedral. Nolan agreed with Moriuchi's proposal and launched a project in the United States to raise funds. He collected donations from more than 500 Catholics and others through lecture activities in the United States.
7,000 visitors
The new bell was flown to Nagasaki in May. Nearly 7,000 people from Japan and abroad visited to see the bell on a display over a nine-day period in an exhibition room near the cathedral.
'[The bell] will bear much fruit, including in fostering peace, hope and greater solidarity between Japanese and American Catholics,' Nolan Jr. said at the ceremony.
'On behalf of all of those who have given to the project, we thank you for the great honor it has been to be a part of restoring this bell to you, to your community and to your beautiful cathedral.'
