Nagasaki





Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki prefecture located
at the south-western coast of Kyushu, Japan.

As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 418,901 and the density
of 1,736.74 persons per km². The total area is 241.20 km².

History

Founded before 1500, it was originally a secluded harbor village with little
historical significance until contact with European explorers in the
mid-16th century, when a Portuguese ship accidentally landed at Kagoshima
prefecture in 1542. The zealous Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier arrived in
another part of the territory in 1549, but although he left for China in
1551 and died soon after departure his followers who remained behind
converted a number of daimyo (warlords). The most notable among them was
Omura Sumitada, who derived great profit from his conversion through an
accompanying deal to receive a portion of the trade from Portuguese ships at
a port they established in Nagasaki in 1571 with his assistance.

The little harbor village quickly grew into a diverse port city, and
Portuguese products imported through Nagasaki (such as tobacco, bread,
tempura, sponge-cake, and new clothing styles) were assimilated into popular
Japanese culture. The Portuguese also brought with them many goods of
Chinese origin.

In 1587 Nagasaki's prosperity was threatened when a new shogun, Hideyoshi
Toyotomi, came to power. Concerned with the large Christian influence in
southern Japan, he ordered the expulsion of all missionaries. Omura had
given the Jesuits partial administrative control of Nagasaki, and the city
now returned to imperial control. Japanese and foreign Christians were
persecuted, with Hideyoshi crucifying 26 Christians in Nagasaki in 1596 to
deter any attempt to usurp his power. Portuguese traders were not
ostracized, however, and so the city continued to thrive.

When Tokugawa Ieyasu took power almost twenty years later conditions did not
much improve. Christianity was banned outright in 1614 and all missionaries
were deported, as well as daimyo who would not renounce the religion. A
brutal campaign of persecution followed, with thousands across Nagasaki and
other parts of Japan killed or tortured. The Christians did put up some
initial resistance, with the Nagasaki Shimabara enclave of destitute
Christians and local peasants rising in rebellion in 1637. Ultimately
numbering 40,000, they captured Hara Castle and humiliated the local daimyo.
The shogun dispatched 120,000 soldiers to quash the uprising, thus ending
Japan's brief 'Christian Century.' Christians still remained, of course, but
all went into hiding, still the victims of occasional inquisitions.

The Dutch had been quietly making inroads into Japan during this time,
despite the shogunate's official policy of ending foreign influence within
the country. The Dutch demonstrated that they were interested in trading
alone, and demonstrated their commitment during the Shimabara rebellion by
firing on the Christians in support of the shogun. In 1641 they were granted
Dejima, an artificial island in Nagasaki Bay, as a base of operations. From
this date until 1855, Japan's contact with the outside world was limited to
Nagasaki. In 1720 the ban on Dutch books was lifted, causing hundreds of
scholars to flood into Nagasaki to study European science and art.

After US Commodore Matthew Perry landed in 1853 and the shogunate crumbled
shortly afterward, Japan opened its doors again. Nagasaki became a free port
in 1859 and modernization began in earnest in 1868. With the Meiji
Restoration, Nagasaki quickly began to assume some economic dominance. Its
main industry was ship building.

This very industry would eventually make it a target in World War II. At 11:02
am on August 9, 1945, the American B-29 Superfortress "Bockscar," in search
of the shipyards, instead spotted the Mitsubishi Arms Works through a break
in the clouds. On this target, it dropped the nuclear bomb Fat Man, the
second nuclear weapon to be detonated over Japan (see Hiroshima (city) for
an account of the first). Even though the "Fat Man" missed by over a mile
and a half, it still leveled nearly half the city. 75,000 of Nagasaki's
240,000 residents were killed, followed by the death of at least as many
from resulting sickness and injury. However another report issues a
different residental number, speaking of Nagasaki's population which dropped
in one split-second from 422,000 to 383,000, thus 39,000 were killed, over
25,000 were injured. If taken into account those who died from radioactive
materials causing cancer, the total number of casualties is to be believed
at least 100,000 killed residents. (Estimates from physicists who have
studied each atomic explosion state that the bomb that was used had utilized
only 1/10th of 1 percent of their respective explosive capabilities.)

The city was rebuilt after the war, albeit dramatically changed, as any city
would be after such colossal damage. New temples were built, and new
churches as well, since the Christian presence never died out and even
increased dramatically in numbers after the war. Some of the rubble was left
as a memorial, like the one-legged torii gate and a stone arch near ground
zero. New structures were also raised as memorials, such as the Atomic Bomb
Museum. Nagasaki remains first and foremost a port city, supporting a rich
shipping industry and setting a strong example of perseverance and peace.

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Additional WWII info to be integrated into above

Nagasaki lies at the head of a long bay which forms the best natural harbor
on the southern Japanese home island of Kyushu. The main commercial and
residential area of the city lies on a small plain near the end of the bay.
Two rivers divided by a mountain spur form the two main valleys in which the
city lies. This mountain spur and the irregular layout of the city
tremendously reduced the area of destruction, so that at first glance
Nagasaki appeared to have been less devastated than Hiroshima.

The heavily built-up area of the city is confined by the terrain to less
than 4 square miles out of a total of about 35 square miles in the city as a whole.

The city of Nagasaki had been one of the largest sea ports in southern Japan
and was of great war-time importance because of its many and varied
industries, including the production of ordnance, ships, military equipment,
and other war materials. The narrow long strip attacked was of particular
importance because of its industries.

In contrast to many modern aspects of Nagasaki, the residences almost
without exception were of flimsy, typical Japanese construction, consisting
of wood or wood-frame buildings, with wood walls with or without plaster,
and tile roofs. Many of the smaller industries and business establishments
were also housed in wooden buildings or flimsily built masonry buildings.
Nagasaki had been permitted to grow for many years without conforming to any
definite city zoning plan and therefore residences were constructed adjacent
to factory buildings and to each other almost as close as it was possible to
build them throughout the entire industrial valley.

Nagasaki had never been subjected to large scale bombing prior to the
explosion of a nuclear weapon there. On August 1st, 1945, however, a number
of high explosive bombs were dropped on the city. A few of these bombs hit
in the shipyards and dock areas in the southwest portion of the city.
Several of the bombs hit the Mitsubishi Steel and Arms Works and six bombs
landed at the Nagasaki Medical School and Hospital, with three direct hits
on buildings there. While the damage from these few bombs were relatively
small, it created considerable concern in Nagasaki and a number of people,
principally school children, were evacuated to rural areas for safety, thus
reducing the population in the city at the time of the nuclear attack.

On the morning of August 9, 1945, at about 7:50am, Japanese time, an air
raid alert was sounded in Nagasaki, but the "all clear" signal was given at
8:30. When only two B-29 superfortresses were sighted at 10:53 the Japanese
apparently assumed that the planes were only on reconnaissance and no
further alarm was given. A few moments later, at 11am, the observation B-29
("The Great Artiste" flown by Capt. Frederick C. Bock) dropped instruments
attached to three parachutes and at 11:02 the "Bockscar" released the
nuclear bomb.

The bomb exploded high over the industrial valley of Nagasaki, almost midway
between the Mitsubishi Steel and Arms Works, in the south, and the
Mitsubishi-Urakami Ordnance Works (Torpedo Works), in the north, the two
principal targets of the city.

Despite its extreme importance, the first bombing mission on Hiroshima had
been almost routine. The second mission was not so uneventful. Again the
crew was specially trained and selected; but bad weather introduced some
momentous complications. These complications are best described in the brief
account of the mission's weaponeer, Comdr., now Capt., F. L. Ashworth,
U.S.N., who was in technical command of the bomb and was charged with the
responsibility of insuring that the bomb was successfully dropped at the
proper time and on the designated target. His narrative runs as follows:

     "The night of our take-off was one of tropical rain squalls, and
     flashes of lightning stabbed into the darkness with disconcerting
     regularity. The weather forecast told us of storms all the way
     from the Marianas to the Empire. Our rendezvous was to be off the
     southeast coast of Kyushu, some 1500 miles away. There we were to
     join with our two companion observation B-29's that took off a few
     minutes behind us. Skillful piloting and expert navigation brought
     us to the rendezvous without incident. "About five minutes after
     our arrival, we were joined by the first of our B-29's. The
     second, however, failed to arrive, having apparently been thrown
     off its course by storms during the night. We waited 30 minutes
     and then proceeded without the second plane toward the target
     area. "During the approach to the target the special instruments
     installed in the plane told us that the bomb was ready to
     function. We were prepared to drop the second atomic bomb on
     Japan. But fate was against us, for the target was completely
     obscured by smoke and haze. Three times we attempted bombing runs,
     but without success. Then with anti-aircraft fire bursting around
     us and with a number of enemy fighters coming up after us, we
     headed for our secondary target, Nagasaki. "The bomb burst with a
     blinding flash and a huge column of black smoke swirled up toward
     us. Out of this column of smoke there boiled a great swirling
     mushroom of gray smoke, luminous with red, flashing flame, that
     reached to 40,000 feet in less than 8 minutes. Below through the
     clouds we could see the pall of black smoke ringed with fire that
     covered what had been the industrial area of Nagasaki. "By this
     time our fuel supply was dangerously low, so after one quick
     circle of Nagasaki, we headed direct for Okinawa for an emergency
     landing and refueling".