The “Saint” of Urakami

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the life of Nagai Takashi (1908–1951) — the most unlikely representative voice of Nagasaki to emerge in the early postwar years. The chapter unfolds Nagai's leadership among the Urakami Catholics in three stages: first, during the Second World War; second, from 1945 to 1947 Nagai led the Catholic survivors into recovery from the atomic bombing; and third, from 1948 to 1951 Nagai acted as the representative voice for Urakami and the city more generally, by publishing prolifically. The chapter details how Nagai's writings and persona supported the municipal vision of reconstruction. It also discusses Nagai's Catholic interpretation of the atomic bombing and how it became the central motif of his postwar writings. The chapter debates that Nagai spoke for Nagasaki's atomic experience in the eyes of local, national, and international media and publishers.