Faith, Family, Earth, and the Atomic Bomb in the Art of Nagai Takashi

Anthony Haynes looks at the life of Nagai Takashi beyond being a medical doctor and writer to provide a fuller picture of his theological and artistic explorations through a lifelong passion for drawing. Haynes identifies themes in Nagai’s drawings, including Catholic faith, dedication to and love for family, and themes of what he calls earthiness, which influenced and informed Nagai’s artistic depictions of the atomic bombing, such as a mushroom cloud carrying his wife who died in the bombing to heaven, or as a martyred Jesus with the flame of the sacred heart replaced with the mushroom cloud. Haynes’ chapter helps us better understand the theological origins and explanations of the atomic bombing as Providence.