Story & photos by Joshua Berida
It was like any other day, people walked home to the grocery store or doing mundane things like washing the dishes, hanging clothes and drinking coffee. However, it was no ordinary day. It was August 9, 1945, when a mushroom-like cloud enveloped the city. Nagasaki is one of two cities in Japan, the other Hiroshima, where the atomic bomb exploded and devastated the city. Thousands died; prisoners of war, criminals, priests, soldiers and children just to name a few.
Nagasaki may have a bloody past, but it has risen from the ashes like a phoenix. The city experienced revivals during different times in its history.
The industrial revolution
Japan was in seclusion centuries ago, with minimal contact with the outside world; this was during the feudal Tokugawa era. However, despite the barring of foreign visitors from entering, Nagasaki was one of the few places that allowed foreigners to enter. Built in 1636, the man-made island of Dejima segregated the Portuguese from the Japanese, and limited the former’s missionary activities. This was the time when the country focused on rangaku, or Western learning, to import science and knowledge into their country.
After 1636 the Japanese expelled the Portuguese, and the Dutch Trading Station, formerly in Hirado, was transferred to Dejima. The Dutch stayed in Dejima during the two centuries of isolation of the country, and were the only remaining Westerners allowed to stay. Fast forward to today, Dejima is not an island anymore as reclamation took place in the 20th century. Despite the modernization of the area, many of the historical structures remain and some even reconstructed; these include gates, walls and warehouses.
Nagasaki’s openness in the second half of the 19th century provided an opportunity for Western industrialists to enter new markets and flex their influence in the region. One of the remnants of this bygone era is the Glover Garden. The park commemorates the Scot Thomas Blake Glover, a merchant who played an important role in the modernization of Japan in coal mining, shipbuilding and other heavy industries.
The park provides an overlooking view of the heavy industry that is still prevalent in Nagasaki today; the cranes swinging back and forth to move cargo, the skeletons of ships waiting for completion and the rising of buildings from the ground up. I could only imagine the transformation of feudal Japan into a bustling industrialized city. The small houses and cottage industries transformed into concrete and metal buildings that catered to foreign trade that ushered in industrialization. The industrialists and Westerners didn’t only trade and build ships, they also left their religion and influenced the architecture of the city. The construction of the Oura Catholic Church took place at the tail end of the Edo Period in 1864. It is the oldest standing church in Japan and became the first Western building named as a national treasure. Walking toward the park made me imagine that I was in Europe; many houses and buildings have a distinct European influence on design and stature.
Revival from war
Nagasaki was a bustling city that reaped the benefits of industrialization at the turn of the 20th century. However, this all changed after the Americans dropped the second atomic bomb in Japan. The devastation left thousands dead and the survivors dealt with serious injuries and trauma for many years. Despite the tragedy that ravaged the city, the Japanese went back to work and rebuilt from the ground up. The citizens didn’t forget their past, but wanted to leave a reminder of the futility of using nuclear weapons.
The Hypocenter Park has a monument that marks the epicenter of the atomic bomb’s explosion. The nearby Peace, Park commemorates the bombing of Nagasaki on the fateful date of August 9, 1945. Its most recognizable statue is full of symbols; its extended left hand is a symbol of lasting peace while the right points to the threat of nuclear weapons. Its mild face is a picture of grace and the closed eyes is a prayer offering for the bomb’s victims. The Atom Bomb Museum provides a harrowing look at what transpired on the tragic day of the bombing.
Today the city is as vibrant as any other Japanese metropolis; glitzy shopping centers, high-rise buildings lighting up the night sky and foreign trade and ships coming and going are as they were before. Scars heal as time passes; however, Nagasaki still remembers its past and builds on it as it looks to the future.
Image credits: Joshua Berida