Hiroshima, 8:15

Kiyoshi Tanimoto’s eyewitness account of the Hiroshima atomic bombing is both a stunning historical discovery and a heartrending testimony of human suffering. It echoes John Hersey’s groundbreaking 1946 New Yorker essay—but Tanimoto’s Japanese voice is equally powerful, and a poignant reminder that in the nuclear age, humanity always lives on the brink of extinction. – KAI BIRD, Pulitzer Prize–winning coauthor of American Prometheus, the biography that inspired Christopher Nolan’s film OppenheimerThe Methodist minister Kiyoshi Tanimoto, known as the ‘rescuing angel’ in nuclear-bombed Hiroshima, left a powerful eyewitness account and a stark warning about the savagery of the nuclear age for generations to come. It feels more urgent today than at any time since the end of the Cold War. – Serhii Plokhy, author of The Nuclear Age and ChernobylWritten in 1947 but discovered nearly seven decades later in 2022, Hiroshima, 8:15 recounts the intimate details of Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto’s round-the-clock efforts and courageous split-second choices to save and care for countless survivors suffering from torturous injuries, whole-body burns, and radiation illness over the days, weeks, and months after the nuclear attack. Six months after the bombing, even as the people of Hiroshima and across Japan were facing starvation, Tanimoto begins the daunting, multiyear task to reconstruct his church from the atomic ashes with scant funds or supplies. A devout Methodist minister and community leader, Tanimoto offers his Christian perspectives on Hiroshima’s victimization from the atomic bombing and his views the roles of both Japan and the United States in the Pacific War. Hiroshima, 8:15 is a rare and important addition to history. – Susan Southard, author of Nagasaki: Life After Nuclear WarWe have apparently spent eighty years forgetting what atomic warfare actually looks like. Just now, we are staring into the abyss created by a steady erosion of the processes of shared control and accountability. Nuclear non-proliferation is more at risk than it has been since the 1970s. This intensely moving book, a record of Christian faith and practical compassion, is also an unsparing chronicle of the reality of mass destruction. Pray God it will restore some sense of urgency to our commitment to a nuclear-free world. – Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of CanterburyA long-forgotten firsthand account of one of history’s greatest tragedies… . An essential addition to the literature of nuclear warfare. – Kirkus Reviews

Kiyoshi Tanimoto (1909-1986) was a Methodist minister from Hiroshima, who became known globally for his heroic actions in the aftermath of the atomic bomb of 1945. He was one of the six characters featured in John Hersey’s Hiroshima (1946) and dedicated his life to helping those impacted by the bomb for decades after, most notably through his support of the Hiroshima Maidens. He was married to Chisa Tanimoto, and they had five children, including Koko Kondo, the anti-nuclear peace activist.

Koko Tanimoto Kondo (Foreword By) was born in Hiroshima, Japan, and was just eight months old when the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. Her father, Kiyoshi Tanimoto, became globally known for his work helping victims of the bomb. She is now a prominent peace activist and has campaigned against the use of nuclear weapons for most of her life. Through her work over the years, she has met with political and religious figures, including Pope Leo XIV, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, and Pearl Buck.

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