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Hiroshima, 8:15: The Lost Memoir
A newly discovered, powerful and devastating firsthand account of the Hiroshima bombing and its aftermath, from one of the survivors profiled in John Hersey's landmark 1946 account, Hiroshima.
At approximately 8:15 on the morning of August 6, 1945, Kiyoshi Tanimoto was on the outskirts of Hiroshima, helping a neighbor, when a flash in the sky signaled the birth of a dangerous and horrifying new world. In an instant, tens of thousands of Hiroshima residents had been vaporized or crushed to death. As the 36-year-old Methodist minister raced back to the city center in search of his wife and infant daughter, he encountered scenes of unimaginable structures leveled; fires everywhere; uncountable injured suffering from burns, broken bones, and the effects of radiation. In the days, weeks, and months that followed this unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, Tanimoto invested body and soul in helping his living congregants obtain food, shelter, and medical care, as well as identifying and burying with as much dignity as possible those who had perished. He dedicated himself to rebuilding, at great personal cost, not only his church and congregation, but his city and his nation, and he went on to gain renown as one of the survivors featured in John Hersey's New Yorker piece and book, Hiroshima, which changed the American public's understanding of the event.
But Tanimoto also wrote his own story. Hiroshima, 8:15 is Tanimoto's never-before-published firsthand account of the bombing of Hiroshima, written in the immediate aftermath, in his own words. This singular memoir is both an invaluable addition to the historical record, and an urgent eyewitness testimony of one of the most calamitous events to befall humanity. Tanimoto spent the rest of his life working to ensure that the memories of the hibakusha—the survivors—never be forgotten. At a time when the threat of nuclear war still looms, Tanimoto's message of peace, and his vision of a better path forward for humankind, is of vital importance.
At approximately 8:15 on the morning of August 6, 1945, Kiyoshi Tanimoto was on the outskirts of Hiroshima, helping a neighbor, when a flash in the sky signaled the birth of a dangerous and horrifying new world. In an instant, tens of thousands of Hiroshima residents had been vaporized or crushed to death. As the 36-year-old Methodist minister raced back to the city center in search of his wife and infant daughter, he encountered scenes of unimaginable structures leveled; fires everywhere; uncountable injured suffering from burns, broken bones, and the effects of radiation. In the days, weeks, and months that followed this unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, Tanimoto invested body and soul in helping his living congregants obtain food, shelter, and medical care, as well as identifying and burying with as much dignity as possible those who had perished. He dedicated himself to rebuilding, at great personal cost, not only his church and congregation, but his city and his nation, and he went on to gain renown as one of the survivors featured in John Hersey's New Yorker piece and book, Hiroshima, which changed the American public's understanding of the event.
But Tanimoto also wrote his own story. Hiroshima, 8:15 is Tanimoto's never-before-published firsthand account of the bombing of Hiroshima, written in the immediate aftermath, in his own words. This singular memoir is both an invaluable addition to the historical record, and an urgent eyewitness testimony of one of the most calamitous events to befall humanity. Tanimoto spent the rest of his life working to ensure that the memories of the hibakusha—the survivors—never be forgotten. At a time when the threat of nuclear war still looms, Tanimoto's message of peace, and his vision of a better path forward for humankind, is of vital importance.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2026
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May 27, 2026I received this book through NetGalley.
Hiroshima 8:15 was a smooth and impactful read, with subject matter that is incredibly heavy. August 6, 1945 is one of the saddest days in world history, and reading a firsthand account makes that feel even heavier.
What stayed with me most was the helplessness. The suffering, the injured people looking for loved ones, and the exhaustion of everyone trying to survive something so devastating was hard to sit with. It is one thing to know the history, but reading the personal details makes the human cost feel impossible to ignore.
I also thought the book did a strong job showing that the impact did not end that day. There was grief, loss, trauma, illness, rebuilding, remembrance, and the complicated way people tried to process what happened. The reflections on war, sacrifice, revenge, cruelty, and guilt were especially memorable.
The parts about how Hiroshima remembered August 6 afterward also stood out. Some wanted it treated as a solemn memorial, while others turned it into a Peace Day event. Reading that alongside the grief of survivors and families makes you understand how complicated the aftermath truly was.
Overall, Hiroshima 8:15 is a powerful and sobering firsthand account. I’d recommend it to readers interested in World War II history, Hiroshima, survivor testimony, historical nonfiction, and books that focus on the human cost of war and the lasting impact it leaves behind.
Hiroshima 8:15 was a smooth and impactful read, with subject matter that is incredibly heavy. August 6, 1945 is one of the saddest days in world history, and reading a firsthand account makes that feel even heavier.
What stayed with me most was the helplessness. The suffering, the injured people looking for loved ones, and the exhaustion of everyone trying to survive something so devastating was hard to sit with. It is one thing to know the history, but reading the personal details makes the human cost feel impossible to ignore.
I also thought the book did a strong job showing that the impact did not end that day. There was grief, loss, trauma, illness, rebuilding, remembrance, and the complicated way people tried to process what happened. The reflections on war, sacrifice, revenge, cruelty, and guilt were especially memorable.
The parts about how Hiroshima remembered August 6 afterward also stood out. Some wanted it treated as a solemn memorial, while others turned it into a Peace Day event. Reading that alongside the grief of survivors and families makes you understand how complicated the aftermath truly was.
Overall, Hiroshima 8:15 is a powerful and sobering firsthand account. I’d recommend it to readers interested in World War II history, Hiroshima, survivor testimony, historical nonfiction, and books that focus on the human cost of war and the lasting impact it leaves behind.
August 1, 2026
I appreciated this memoir for its Japanese centric POV on the bombing in Hiroshima and its aftermath. Seeing the more contemporaneous perspective was interesting and also made me think so much about distance from events when it comes to history. The intro from the authors daughter was excellent and made me a little weepy.
June 6, 2026
Review to follow.
June 30, 2026
“Memory is our hope for survival as human beings, and for the survival of the beautiful world we inhabit. The famous inscription on the Hiroshima Memorial reads： “安らかに眠って下さい過ちは繰返しませぬから” "Please rest in peace, the error shall not be repeated."
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We must never forget. Yet it is hard not to feel anxious now. We have a sitting US president threatening to wipe out an entire civilisation. Hatred of others and a distrust of peace seem to be on the rise, and one can’t help but fear what the future holds. We should read this and do everything we can to prevent such horrors from happening again.
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I know this reads as a bland blandishment on Instagram, virtue-signalling in the parlance of those who seem only to live their lives in hate and division, but really, each of us should, in our small and likely inconsequential ways, live lives that encourage peace and love, even towards those with whom we disagree. If we cannot extend that grace to one another in our everyday lives, then we should not be surprised when hatred takes root on a far greater scale. The sobering image of a burnt mother continually holding on to her dead baby in the hope that her husband will return to say his final goodbye will forever remain in my mind. It is an image that should remain in the minds of those who commit war.
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Tanimoto, in a calm and dignified manner, outlines his experience of surviving the bomb. In a detached way, he describes the hellscape of a completely ruined city: the masses of victims who lay dead, those wandering with no clothes and skin hanging from their bodies, the kindness of strangers, and, importantly, Tanimoto’s own heroic efforts to help others survive. This is a powerful book about what it means to survive, to believe in peace, and to believe in humanity.
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Thank you to Ebury publishing and to NetGalley for the advanced copy.
.
We must never forget. Yet it is hard not to feel anxious now. We have a sitting US president threatening to wipe out an entire civilisation. Hatred of others and a distrust of peace seem to be on the rise, and one can’t help but fear what the future holds. We should read this and do everything we can to prevent such horrors from happening again.
.
I know this reads as a bland blandishment on Instagram, virtue-signalling in the parlance of those who seem only to live their lives in hate and division, but really, each of us should, in our small and likely inconsequential ways, live lives that encourage peace and love, even towards those with whom we disagree. If we cannot extend that grace to one another in our everyday lives, then we should not be surprised when hatred takes root on a far greater scale. The sobering image of a burnt mother continually holding on to her dead baby in the hope that her husband will return to say his final goodbye will forever remain in my mind. It is an image that should remain in the minds of those who commit war.
.
Tanimoto, in a calm and dignified manner, outlines his experience of surviving the bomb. In a detached way, he describes the hellscape of a completely ruined city: the masses of victims who lay dead, those wandering with no clothes and skin hanging from their bodies, the kindness of strangers, and, importantly, Tanimoto’s own heroic efforts to help others survive. This is a powerful book about what it means to survive, to believe in peace, and to believe in humanity.
.
Thank you to Ebury publishing and to NetGalley for the advanced copy.
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August 21, 2026very powerful 1st person account. it was an abridged Radio 4 book of the week so I feel i can't rate it fairly.
August 20, 2026
This is the memoir of Kiyoshi Tanimoto, a Methodist minister who saw first-hand the devastation that the bomb dropped from the Enola Gay on the morning of August 6, 1945. It happened at 8:15. Kiyoshi Tanimoto was working just outside the immediate impact zone in Hiroshima that morning.
The memoir provides a first-hand account from someone who was there and wrote down what he saw, felt, and experienced, which became the memoir. His immediate thought was for his family, but also his parishioners who were desperate for food, water and shelter. The memoir is a harrowing account of the people he saw, those he could not recognise and those who died.
There are a lot of history books about WWII, and this one is a valuable witness account of history. Not just of that morning, but of the days and years that followed. One morning Hiroshima was a city of life; then it wasn't.
If you like accounts of personal experiences in history, then this is a good book to sit down with. It is not always easy reading, as the event was such an awful thing to have happened. It is an interesting account and shows things that can be learnt from the most harrowing experiences and how it can set you on a life journey. I would be very happy to recommend this book.
The memoir provides a first-hand account from someone who was there and wrote down what he saw, felt, and experienced, which became the memoir. His immediate thought was for his family, but also his parishioners who were desperate for food, water and shelter. The memoir is a harrowing account of the people he saw, those he could not recognise and those who died.
There are a lot of history books about WWII, and this one is a valuable witness account of history. Not just of that morning, but of the days and years that followed. One morning Hiroshima was a city of life; then it wasn't.
If you like accounts of personal experiences in history, then this is a good book to sit down with. It is not always easy reading, as the event was such an awful thing to have happened. It is an interesting account and shows things that can be learnt from the most harrowing experiences and how it can set you on a life journey. I would be very happy to recommend this book.
August 20, 2026
Only evil and/or stupid men could have created the atomic bomb. However, good resulted: a terrible war was brought to a quicker end by the profound horror of Hiroshima at 8:15 A.M. that August morning. Kiyoshi Tanimoto was a Japanese Methodist minister serving in Hiroshima, and a survivor of the blast. He was one of six Japanese interviewed by John Hersey for his book, “Hiroshima.” Only recently re-discovered, this is a memoir upon which part of Hershey’s book is based. If you would like to experience an unvarnished view of Hell, this is the book for you. … Unfortunately, every word is true. … absolutely stellar …
by
John Hersey
by
John Hersey
August 17, 2026
A truly humbling book from a very inspirational minister.
This first hand account of survivor and minister Kiyoshi Tanimoto is outstanding. To hear how the people of Hiroshima pulled together to support each other on this day and thereafter; is so humbling.
I visited Hiroshima two years ago and this book really brings home the horror of nuclear weapons and the atrocities caused.
This first hand account of survivor and minister Kiyoshi Tanimoto is outstanding. To hear how the people of Hiroshima pulled together to support each other on this day and thereafter; is so humbling.
I visited Hiroshima two years ago and this book really brings home the horror of nuclear weapons and the atrocities caused.
August 15, 2026
Lesson from the book: How a society chooses to remember its suffering will determine whether the next generation learns reflection from that suffering, or hatred from it. And how its leaders invoke that suffering may determine whether history is remembered—or repeated. This is why the Japanese is one of the best races of the world.
August 12, 2026
This was a very powerful and interesting listen. I don't think I've ever read a first hand account of someone who survived the atomic bombing. Tanimoto worked tirelessly to help survivors and his parishioners who lost loved ones, even when his family was suffering from radiation poisoning. This is a very important listen and a reminder (if we even need one) that we need to avoid nuclear war at all costs.
August 15, 2026
In the days immediately following Aug 6, when the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima, Tanimoto, a Methodist minister, kept a diary. The horrors of thousands of bodies, struggles for food/shelter and basic medical care in a ruined city are deftly recounted. It was sobering and unexpected to read such a factual diary - no recriminations, no hatred. Thought provoking in the best kind of way...
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for an advance copy of this new memoir by a man whose entire life was shaped by the events of one horrible day, a day when he found the capacity to help others, a day when he found a calling, a day he found the strength in both mind body and soul, and a day that shaped the rest of his efforts to bring peace to a world, that sometimes seems not to deserve it.
I have been reading history for quite a long time, and in that time I have become inured to the many things that humanity does to itself. However there are times that I am surprised and made hopeful about the things that humans to to help others in time of crisis. The helpers as Mr. Rogers told us all to look for. The bombing of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki means different things to people. The end of the world, the end of a way of life, both physically and emotionally. The end of a lot of innocent lives. This is the true account of the moments after the flash, and what came after, both in surviving, recovering, and even more importantly in the efforts to make sure no one ever had to deal with this again. A tale that still resonates, even as the world continues to bomb and maim with apathy from people on all sides. Hiroshima, 8:15: The Lost Memoir is by Kiyoshi Tanimoto, a lost tale of survival, recovery and finding a path, after one of the most horrible events in human history, a moment that is being forgotten as those who remember leave us.
Kiyoshi Tanimoto was a man who stood out in the Japan at war with most of the world. Tanimoto was a Methodist minister whose belief in his faith had caused a rift with his family. Tanimoto was educated in America, and had traveled quite a bit, seeing the world, before returning to a Japan, to the town of Hiroshima to oversee the Methodist community in the town, one vibrant and strong, but full of fears about the war. On August 5, 1945, Tanimoto was in the suburbs outside the city, moving furniture and items in case of bombing by the Allies. There was a flash as the first nuclear bomb was dropped on the mostly civilian population. Tanimoto was knocked to the ground, but saved by the terrain he was in. Being both a neighborhood leader and minister, Tanimoto ran to the city for his family his neighbors and his congregation. What he found was a city on fire, dust filling the air, with smoke, heat, and of course lots of injured and dead. After finding his family, Tanimoto began to organize help for those wounded, acquiring fod and water, ferrying those to safety, and being surprised by how overwhelmed everything was. As the days past, survival became a day-to-day thing, as well as plans for the future. To help others and make sure this never happened again.
Tanimoto was one of the sources for John Hersey's Hiroshima, but there are elements of the story that did not make the finished book. Tanimoto wrote this and gave it to Hersey, where it remained in his archives. Time has not softened the book. What is amazing is how Tanimoto writes about life in wartime, moving furniture, going about life kind of normal. Until things go horrendously bad. The writing is really well done. There is a pain, and immediacy to the writing, a you are there feeling, that really comes through. Tanimoto is honest, sometimes brutally. Feeling bad his wife survived while a visiting neighbor might have died when the house collapsed. Blaming doctors, blaming others for incompetence. Even worse blaming himself for those Tanimoto could not save.
A rough book to read, but one that should be shared. America tends to ignore the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or try to couch it in terms of a necessary evil. We are seeing this necessary evil more and more, and hiding behind patriotic language does not make it right. Books like this remind us that the people who die in war were just trying to get by. Move items, fix building, go to school. A really powerful book, one I hope will not be ignored.
I have been reading history for quite a long time, and in that time I have become inured to the many things that humanity does to itself. However there are times that I am surprised and made hopeful about the things that humans to to help others in time of crisis. The helpers as Mr. Rogers told us all to look for. The bombing of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki means different things to people. The end of the world, the end of a way of life, both physically and emotionally. The end of a lot of innocent lives. This is the true account of the moments after the flash, and what came after, both in surviving, recovering, and even more importantly in the efforts to make sure no one ever had to deal with this again. A tale that still resonates, even as the world continues to bomb and maim with apathy from people on all sides. Hiroshima, 8:15: The Lost Memoir is by Kiyoshi Tanimoto, a lost tale of survival, recovery and finding a path, after one of the most horrible events in human history, a moment that is being forgotten as those who remember leave us.
Kiyoshi Tanimoto was a man who stood out in the Japan at war with most of the world. Tanimoto was a Methodist minister whose belief in his faith had caused a rift with his family. Tanimoto was educated in America, and had traveled quite a bit, seeing the world, before returning to a Japan, to the town of Hiroshima to oversee the Methodist community in the town, one vibrant and strong, but full of fears about the war. On August 5, 1945, Tanimoto was in the suburbs outside the city, moving furniture and items in case of bombing by the Allies. There was a flash as the first nuclear bomb was dropped on the mostly civilian population. Tanimoto was knocked to the ground, but saved by the terrain he was in. Being both a neighborhood leader and minister, Tanimoto ran to the city for his family his neighbors and his congregation. What he found was a city on fire, dust filling the air, with smoke, heat, and of course lots of injured and dead. After finding his family, Tanimoto began to organize help for those wounded, acquiring fod and water, ferrying those to safety, and being surprised by how overwhelmed everything was. As the days past, survival became a day-to-day thing, as well as plans for the future. To help others and make sure this never happened again.
Tanimoto was one of the sources for John Hersey's Hiroshima, but there are elements of the story that did not make the finished book. Tanimoto wrote this and gave it to Hersey, where it remained in his archives. Time has not softened the book. What is amazing is how Tanimoto writes about life in wartime, moving furniture, going about life kind of normal. Until things go horrendously bad. The writing is really well done. There is a pain, and immediacy to the writing, a you are there feeling, that really comes through. Tanimoto is honest, sometimes brutally. Feeling bad his wife survived while a visiting neighbor might have died when the house collapsed. Blaming doctors, blaming others for incompetence. Even worse blaming himself for those Tanimoto could not save.
A rough book to read, but one that should be shared. America tends to ignore the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or try to couch it in terms of a necessary evil. We are seeing this necessary evil more and more, and hiding behind patriotic language does not make it right. Books like this remind us that the people who die in war were just trying to get by. Move items, fix building, go to school. A really powerful book, one I hope will not be ignored.
July 18, 2026
With a Foreword by Koko Tanimoto Kondo his daughter this is a memoir of Kiyoshi Tanimoto a Christian minister living in Hiroshima at the time of the atomic bomb landing on August 6th 1945. Koko was just months old at the time and is now one of a handful of living survivors. As a survivor herself, one of the hibakusha, Koko believes:
‘Memory is our hope for survival as human beings, and for the survival of the beautiful world we inhabit.’ As few survivors remain she hopes the memoir will help keep collective memory alive.
This is not only a personal memoir but an account of the many human casualties of one of the most atrocious human activity of the twentieth century. Tanimoto had such detailed knowledge of local families, most members of his church but not all. His memoir written within a couple of years of the occurrences describes the bodies, injuries, ashes discovered and ashes buried, cremations and how radiation sickness affected so many months and years later. It is almost an audited account of the fate of many families within the centre and surrounding areas around Hiroshima. His memoir was archived away in America where a US journalist papers were archived John Hersey. Tanimoto’s papers were not rediscovered until 2023.
Tanimoto devoted his life to peace and through his evangelical Christian work persuading others that this sort of atrocity should never happen again. Tanimoto himself remarks when asked about his attitude towards the Americans responsible for the atomic bombing:
‘I had never thought about the ethical issue concerning the use of the atomic bomb […] I was too busy dealing with issues of survival.’
A remarkable story of humanity and resilience and doing positive work towards the rebuilding of Japan. He never considered revenge against the Americans and was respectful of their occupying personnel even when he was denied the opportunity to translate a journalistic piece into Japanese so that his fellow countrymen could read John Hersey’s 1946 New Yorker edition detailing the experiences of 6 of the Hiroshima survivors.
Aside from the infrastructure, the many buildings and dwellings that collapsed during the bombing this is a human account. Never giving up Tanimoto mentions his being able to salvage a bicycle to do some of his travelling around - he used fire fighting hose as tyres and these were thus sturdy enough for the terrain he had to travel along. He also spoke at many venues in America and Japan and fundraised for the rebuilding of Christian churches in his home country. He also fundraised for plastic surgery for women badly affected by radiation damage to have plastic surgery.
As largely a first hand account this memoir is recommended for anyone wanting to find out about the human impact of nuclear weapons and for anyone who denies their devastating impact for humankind’s survival. Four stars.
‘Memory is our hope for survival as human beings, and for the survival of the beautiful world we inhabit.’ As few survivors remain she hopes the memoir will help keep collective memory alive.
This is not only a personal memoir but an account of the many human casualties of one of the most atrocious human activity of the twentieth century. Tanimoto had such detailed knowledge of local families, most members of his church but not all. His memoir written within a couple of years of the occurrences describes the bodies, injuries, ashes discovered and ashes buried, cremations and how radiation sickness affected so many months and years later. It is almost an audited account of the fate of many families within the centre and surrounding areas around Hiroshima. His memoir was archived away in America where a US journalist papers were archived John Hersey. Tanimoto’s papers were not rediscovered until 2023.
Tanimoto devoted his life to peace and through his evangelical Christian work persuading others that this sort of atrocity should never happen again. Tanimoto himself remarks when asked about his attitude towards the Americans responsible for the atomic bombing:
‘I had never thought about the ethical issue concerning the use of the atomic bomb […] I was too busy dealing with issues of survival.’
A remarkable story of humanity and resilience and doing positive work towards the rebuilding of Japan. He never considered revenge against the Americans and was respectful of their occupying personnel even when he was denied the opportunity to translate a journalistic piece into Japanese so that his fellow countrymen could read John Hersey’s 1946 New Yorker edition detailing the experiences of 6 of the Hiroshima survivors.
Aside from the infrastructure, the many buildings and dwellings that collapsed during the bombing this is a human account. Never giving up Tanimoto mentions his being able to salvage a bicycle to do some of his travelling around - he used fire fighting hose as tyres and these were thus sturdy enough for the terrain he had to travel along. He also spoke at many venues in America and Japan and fundraised for the rebuilding of Christian churches in his home country. He also fundraised for plastic surgery for women badly affected by radiation damage to have plastic surgery.
As largely a first hand account this memoir is recommended for anyone wanting to find out about the human impact of nuclear weapons and for anyone who denies their devastating impact for humankind’s survival. Four stars.
August 21, 2026
So here's the tricky thing about memoirs - I honestly believe that all memoirs are important, even if some of them should have been marinating in the sauce a lot longer. (Generally these are celebrity memoirs or people who are young but experienced a significant event in their lives and wrote about it without the reflection of someone who's lived with Life for years). This specific memoir isn't the underbaked kind - it's more the opposite, a very dry, almost clinical accounting of what happened on the date the United States dropped the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, and the days and weeks and months afterward. It's an accounting of lives author Kiyoshi Tanimoto knew and cared for as a rare Christian Methodist minister in his community. It's a graphic, no-nonsense accounting, very, "Just the facts ma'am."
And that makes it really dry. I'm definitely not asking for sensationalism (we get that enough with horrific events.....) but this short memoir took me much longer to get through than others of its length/subject because it was so dry. We know from the informative notes beforehand (from journalist David Corn) that this memoir was sort of "lost to time," tucked away and only found recently, and having read it I wonder if it was tucked away because it was meant as part of something and not to be published by itself like this (like, for the details to be taken out and used in a conglomeration sort of thing like the Hiroshima article/book Tanimoto had prior been part of) or what. Either way, mixed feelings - it's a very important accounting and it's so fortunate that it was un-lost. But as a read-memoir.... I think it's less a memoir (to me) and more a sort of journalistic reporting tinged with personal biases.
Similarly, there were some things about this book that had me double taking - a few romanizations of some names, and some choices in translation (reading a fair amount of translated work honestly I roll my eyes when a translator keeps the original, simple word, and then translates it immediately (things like 'thank you'; that kind of simplicity). Additionally, Tanimoto's wish in the months following the bomb as, "oh good, now perhaps can build Japan into a Christian Nation now that these guys don't think the Emperor is as heavenly as he says anymore," (while still calling him "Tenno" aka "Heavenly"). And, there's so much detail into "guys I really have to rebuild my CHURCH despite so many around me starving and dying, but, need a church," that had my mouth kind of sideways.
In short - an important read but not a particularly "great" one and more voices from people who actually experienced big events is always a good thing. Maybe better on audio? Thank you to Random House (Modern Library) for the eARC for review.
And that makes it really dry. I'm definitely not asking for sensationalism (we get that enough with horrific events.....) but this short memoir took me much longer to get through than others of its length/subject because it was so dry. We know from the informative notes beforehand (from journalist David Corn) that this memoir was sort of "lost to time," tucked away and only found recently, and having read it I wonder if it was tucked away because it was meant as part of something and not to be published by itself like this (like, for the details to be taken out and used in a conglomeration sort of thing like the Hiroshima article/book Tanimoto had prior been part of) or what. Either way, mixed feelings - it's a very important accounting and it's so fortunate that it was un-lost. But as a read-memoir.... I think it's less a memoir (to me) and more a sort of journalistic reporting tinged with personal biases.
Similarly, there were some things about this book that had me double taking - a few romanizations of some names, and some choices in translation (reading a fair amount of translated work honestly I roll my eyes when a translator keeps the original, simple word, and then translates it immediately (things like 'thank you'; that kind of simplicity). Additionally, Tanimoto's wish in the months following the bomb as, "oh good, now perhaps can build Japan into a Christian Nation now that these guys don't think the Emperor is as heavenly as he says anymore," (while still calling him "Tenno" aka "Heavenly"). And, there's so much detail into "guys I really have to rebuild my CHURCH despite so many around me starving and dying, but, need a church," that had my mouth kind of sideways.
In short - an important read but not a particularly "great" one and more voices from people who actually experienced big events is always a good thing. Maybe better on audio? Thank you to Random House (Modern Library) for the eARC for review.
August 13, 2026
Dude I’m officially against nuclear weapons. I just read a first hand account of Hiroshima by a methodist minister who was featured in John Hersey’s book Hiroshima. This one is called Hiroshima 8:15. Which is interesting because it is about Hiroshima before and after 8:15AM
I read Hiroshima in one day and then continued with reading this. That was on Tuesday and it is Thursday. I haven't read much, maybe a book a month lately. and lots of commentaries and theology for work lol. I'm a Methodist pastor, I'm 36, and I help people move much like Tanimoto. But other than that our similarities end. I have worked with UMCOR and understand disaster response.
Tanimoto's narrative is older than my parents! And to see it edited and published is interesting. I'd like to see this as assigned reading for Putin, Trump, Netanyahu, Xi, Modi, Macron, Shebaz Sharif, Kim, Khamenei. Seriously I want a book report from each other them.
nuclear weapons give everyone diarrhea. And they die from it. The radiation. It’s awful. It’s awful. In Hersey’s Hiroshima which featured Kiyoshi Tanimoto, it references GI distress. But in Tanimoto’s telling the diarrhea is so prominent. He at times describes diarrhea as being so bad he wanted to die.
Something about that visceral description just makes it realer. Especially reading Hersey's Hiroshima in the same day.
Navigating diarrhea while going through the rubble. I have assisted in disaster response. But that people were hurt and then dealt with the radiation. It is really harsh. I've been at terrorist attacks.
I think Reverend Tanimoto so much for bearing witness to what happened.
I will say, as a Methodist pastor, I'd love to talk to other Methodists about it. Aspects of what he shares and says, about church governance and running a church I really relate to. I hope my parish knows how much I love them and care about them. It's something I think everyone can feel. I just related a lot and it's interesting to read something that speaks of that specific type of love and care and relationship. That is why it was recommended to me. I'm sure many other clergy can relate to the love of ones parishioners in the way Tanimoto says.
I would love to reach out to David Corn and see what parts he notes he removed that were too specific about running church affairs. I felt like there was a lot left in there that maybe not everyone could relate to. there were some interesting passages about church polity that I think resonate for methodists today and christians today. thank you reverend Tanimoto.
I read Hiroshima in one day and then continued with reading this. That was on Tuesday and it is Thursday. I haven't read much, maybe a book a month lately. and lots of commentaries and theology for work lol. I'm a Methodist pastor, I'm 36, and I help people move much like Tanimoto. But other than that our similarities end. I have worked with UMCOR and understand disaster response.
Tanimoto's narrative is older than my parents! And to see it edited and published is interesting. I'd like to see this as assigned reading for Putin, Trump, Netanyahu, Xi, Modi, Macron, Shebaz Sharif, Kim, Khamenei. Seriously I want a book report from each other them.
nuclear weapons give everyone diarrhea. And they die from it. The radiation. It’s awful. It’s awful. In Hersey’s Hiroshima which featured Kiyoshi Tanimoto, it references GI distress. But in Tanimoto’s telling the diarrhea is so prominent. He at times describes diarrhea as being so bad he wanted to die.
Something about that visceral description just makes it realer. Especially reading Hersey's Hiroshima in the same day.
Navigating diarrhea while going through the rubble. I have assisted in disaster response. But that people were hurt and then dealt with the radiation. It is really harsh. I've been at terrorist attacks.
I think Reverend Tanimoto so much for bearing witness to what happened.
I will say, as a Methodist pastor, I'd love to talk to other Methodists about it. Aspects of what he shares and says, about church governance and running a church I really relate to. I hope my parish knows how much I love them and care about them. It's something I think everyone can feel. I just related a lot and it's interesting to read something that speaks of that specific type of love and care and relationship. That is why it was recommended to me. I'm sure many other clergy can relate to the love of ones parishioners in the way Tanimoto says.
I would love to reach out to David Corn and see what parts he notes he removed that were too specific about running church affairs. I felt like there was a lot left in there that maybe not everyone could relate to. there were some interesting passages about church polity that I think resonate for methodists today and christians today. thank you reverend Tanimoto.
August 21, 2026
A previously undiscovered account written by Kiyoshi Tanimoto, a Methodist minister who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Tanimoto's story was featured in John Hersey's "Hiroshima," published in English in 1946. Notably, as Tanimoto's memoir notes here, when it was suggested that he translate Hersey's book into Japanese, he was told that it would not be approved for Japanese publication.
Tanimoto's previously unknown account is heavily focused on his story, along with the stories of the the victims and survivors of the church he ministered to, as shortly after regaining his bearings, his thoughts turned towards assisting members of the church. In some cases, the entire families were burned to death or crushed in their houses; Tanimoto also found many families where only one family member survived, or children were left orphaned.
For days (and weeks and it seems, even months) afterward, Tanimoto trekked on foot, on a broken bicycle with firehoses as makeshift tires, and eventually on jammed trains, in order to call on members of his congregation and eventually attempt to assist them in rebuilding their homes, lives, and the church.
Tanimoto also discusses his thoughts about the Japanese military. He admits that he knew nothing about the atrocities being committed overseas, and was shocked and horrified to learn about them. He reflects on this when recalling an encounter he had with a member of the Occupied Forces, who spat angrily when Tanimoto (responding to being asked what he felt about the Japanese military) after the author essentially said he felt they were doing their best.
Tanimoto's memoir is particularly interesting because of his Christian background. Tanimoto received warm welcomes by the Occupied Forces own church members, who gave him supplies and bags of candies when he visited. At one point, he was asked to speak after a service, and he quotes the statement he gave in this memoir--
"During the war we experienced unhappiness, sorrow and bitterness, and we have been humiliated by our defeat. It is the love of Christ that will save Japan from His solemn judgement and will redeem our sins. Christianity is the real hope for Japan. I hope that you will pray for Japan to be saved by overcoming her past sentiments."
Tanimoto's thoughts on reconstruction and the aftermath of the war are, as one might expect, heavily influenced by his religious beliefs. It is a unique perspective that makes this a valuable primary source if you are interested in reading firsthand accounts of the atomic bombings.
Tanimoto's previously unknown account is heavily focused on his story, along with the stories of the the victims and survivors of the church he ministered to, as shortly after regaining his bearings, his thoughts turned towards assisting members of the church. In some cases, the entire families were burned to death or crushed in their houses; Tanimoto also found many families where only one family member survived, or children were left orphaned.
For days (and weeks and it seems, even months) afterward, Tanimoto trekked on foot, on a broken bicycle with firehoses as makeshift tires, and eventually on jammed trains, in order to call on members of his congregation and eventually attempt to assist them in rebuilding their homes, lives, and the church.
Tanimoto also discusses his thoughts about the Japanese military. He admits that he knew nothing about the atrocities being committed overseas, and was shocked and horrified to learn about them. He reflects on this when recalling an encounter he had with a member of the Occupied Forces, who spat angrily when Tanimoto (responding to being asked what he felt about the Japanese military) after the author essentially said he felt they were doing their best.
Tanimoto's memoir is particularly interesting because of his Christian background. Tanimoto received warm welcomes by the Occupied Forces own church members, who gave him supplies and bags of candies when he visited. At one point, he was asked to speak after a service, and he quotes the statement he gave in this memoir--
"During the war we experienced unhappiness, sorrow and bitterness, and we have been humiliated by our defeat. It is the love of Christ that will save Japan from His solemn judgement and will redeem our sins. Christianity is the real hope for Japan. I hope that you will pray for Japan to be saved by overcoming her past sentiments."
Tanimoto's thoughts on reconstruction and the aftermath of the war are, as one might expect, heavily influenced by his religious beliefs. It is a unique perspective that makes this a valuable primary source if you are interested in reading firsthand accounts of the atomic bombings.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This powerful book is an account of the author's experience of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and its aftermath. He was one of 6 people featured in John Hersey's book, Hiroshima and as a result of that, Kiyoshi Tanimoto was inspired to write his own manuscript in English, based on diaries he kept at the time these events unfolded. The manuscript was sent to Hersey who thought highly of it, by all accounts. It remained with Hersey's papers in the rare book collection at Yale until his grandson found it and knew it was important.
Tanimoto is an important voice and has a fairly unique perspective. He was a Methodist minister, having converted as a young man upon the death of his mother. His father disowned him. He studied in Japan and then went to the US where, after ordination, served a congregation in Los Angeles before going back to Japan. His experiences in the US and ability to communicate in English, allowed him to interact with both sides in the months and years after the bombing. His observations are important, but they are necessarily limited. This would be true of everyone, of course, but readers should be aware that Tanimoto was interested in converting people to Christianity and some of his ideas about how and why the bombs were dropped and how the military on both sides behaved are colored by this. That doesn't make them wrong necessarily, but some of the statements he makes seemed a bit jarring to me. Others seemed like they illustrated his awareness of the reality of the situation. The power of this book doesn't come from his desire to convert people, however. It comes from his account of what he experienced and observed in the immediate aftermath of the detonation and in the longer term. The US military was keen to downplay the civilian casualties, which one official going so far as to say that radiation sickness provided an easy and pleasant way to die. Of course now we know what really happened but when this book was written, just a couple of years later, it was not widely known. The book contains an excellent foreword by Koko Tanimoto Kondo, his daughter, and an afterword by David Corn, which sums up basic biographical details already presented in the main text, but also provides new information. This is an important book. It's well worth a read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.
Tanimoto is an important voice and has a fairly unique perspective. He was a Methodist minister, having converted as a young man upon the death of his mother. His father disowned him. He studied in Japan and then went to the US where, after ordination, served a congregation in Los Angeles before going back to Japan. His experiences in the US and ability to communicate in English, allowed him to interact with both sides in the months and years after the bombing. His observations are important, but they are necessarily limited. This would be true of everyone, of course, but readers should be aware that Tanimoto was interested in converting people to Christianity and some of his ideas about how and why the bombs were dropped and how the military on both sides behaved are colored by this. That doesn't make them wrong necessarily, but some of the statements he makes seemed a bit jarring to me. Others seemed like they illustrated his awareness of the reality of the situation. The power of this book doesn't come from his desire to convert people, however. It comes from his account of what he experienced and observed in the immediate aftermath of the detonation and in the longer term. The US military was keen to downplay the civilian casualties, which one official going so far as to say that radiation sickness provided an easy and pleasant way to die. Of course now we know what really happened but when this book was written, just a couple of years later, it was not widely known. The book contains an excellent foreword by Koko Tanimoto Kondo, his daughter, and an afterword by David Corn, which sums up basic biographical details already presented in the main text, but also provides new information. This is an important book. It's well worth a read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Ebury Press for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
"The future world is a world for everybody".
Unsurprisingly, this is not an easy book to read but it absolutely captivated me.
There is a forward written by his daughter, which I assumed would be a couple of pages but is actually about 15% of the book. It gives us a completely different view of this all too famous tragedy, a child's view, which I found very interesting.
Kiyoshi's way of writing (I think he wrote this originally in English) is...stilted in parts, quite matter of fact, but still with emotion weaved in. And I don't care that it doesn't necessarily read in a perfect flow, because that's not important in this case. It is eye opening to read and shocking. It reads as if written by someone who didn't quite know the effects the disaster would have long-term - which is true. The idea that we have all this history but we still don't seem to have learnt from it would appal him.
This is such an important book. The problem with disasters of this scale is we only see the numbers. But with this book, we are learning about the individuals behind those numbers.
We all know about Hiroshima and what happened there, but this is the first time I've read a survivor's story, from moment to moment. It's so tender but cruel and raw and honest and so sad but strangely uplifting and powerful.
What I did find interesting is that he talks about what happens after. We all know what happened on that day, but we don't think about what happened to the people the day after, the week after, the month after. This wasn't a one-day thing and it had a wide reaching disastrous effect on so many.
For a man for whom English is a second language, he's done a great job of describing the heart and soul and pain of it all.
It is a bit stilted, the flow not perfect, but for a book like this it doesn't matter, and in my heart I know I cannot give this any other star ranking than 5/5.
Whilst I was reading it, I kept googling things he was talking about, which was very grim and I don't advise it, especially when it's your night-time reading.
I know it's not always possible but it would be great to read more of the kind of books, first-hand experience of human or natural disaster. I have found it such a brilliant book that I think it needs to be taught in schools.
"The future world is a world for everybody".
Unsurprisingly, this is not an easy book to read but it absolutely captivated me.
There is a forward written by his daughter, which I assumed would be a couple of pages but is actually about 15% of the book. It gives us a completely different view of this all too famous tragedy, a child's view, which I found very interesting.
Kiyoshi's way of writing (I think he wrote this originally in English) is...stilted in parts, quite matter of fact, but still with emotion weaved in. And I don't care that it doesn't necessarily read in a perfect flow, because that's not important in this case. It is eye opening to read and shocking. It reads as if written by someone who didn't quite know the effects the disaster would have long-term - which is true. The idea that we have all this history but we still don't seem to have learnt from it would appal him.
This is such an important book. The problem with disasters of this scale is we only see the numbers. But with this book, we are learning about the individuals behind those numbers.
We all know about Hiroshima and what happened there, but this is the first time I've read a survivor's story, from moment to moment. It's so tender but cruel and raw and honest and so sad but strangely uplifting and powerful.
What I did find interesting is that he talks about what happens after. We all know what happened on that day, but we don't think about what happened to the people the day after, the week after, the month after. This wasn't a one-day thing and it had a wide reaching disastrous effect on so many.
For a man for whom English is a second language, he's done a great job of describing the heart and soul and pain of it all.
It is a bit stilted, the flow not perfect, but for a book like this it doesn't matter, and in my heart I know I cannot give this any other star ranking than 5/5.
Whilst I was reading it, I kept googling things he was talking about, which was very grim and I don't advise it, especially when it's your night-time reading.
I know it's not always possible but it would be great to read more of the kind of books, first-hand experience of human or natural disaster. I have found it such a brilliant book that I think it needs to be taught in schools.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Of course you know what happened. You may even occasionally wonder what you might be doing on an August 6th at 8:15 in the morning. Thousands of people Hiroshima never knew what hit them. Instant annihilation. For tens of thousands more… well Kiyoshi Tanimoto, a Methodist pastor for the city, tells his story, set down soon afterwards, before the memories changed.
Those papers were recently found in an archive, and brought forward for publication, with a forward by his daughter. The afterword is mostly redundant. I wondered if the editor needed the page count increased. Skip to the last few paragraphs which are actually useful.
If you have an ounce of empathy you will find the first section of Tanimoto’s report almost unbearable. He sets out what he saw, in the context of a vibrant city in a kingdom at war. The mindset of the people was that the Emperor was god, so of course they wanted to win. But otherwise, they were… babies, students, teachers, road sweepers, office clerks, insurance agents, restauranteurs, construction workers, railway workers, librarians and religious leaders and pastors, monks and nuns. The hospital workers were under-resourced, since so many were involved with war work. Likewise men of combat age were almost entirely absent.
And there was a bright flash, silence, and a horrific blast of hot wind.
Tanimoto writes the facts as he saw them, experienced them. His dilemma between finding his family and his job as (effectively) air raid warden for his community, tears him this way and that. Then his duty as pastor to his church community kicks in. He spends that first day searching, helping, caring, tearing ruins apart to free people, desperately trying to do all he can.
I had to stop reading, to recover from that first day. I had to stop writing just then, because I teared up again. But after that, the story continues, and the agonies of mind and flesh recede, since people in agony die, and others take their place. With the energy Tanimoko puts into his searching, I wondered how he could possibly keep going. But he did, until forced to rest, and eat pumpkins that had been cooked in the fields. Those small details that say so much.
The rest of the story through the days and months that follow are interesting, and paint a complete picture. But the impact of the first section hurts. And it should hurt, because despite the desire of peace for all time, it seems that the lessons have not been learned. But of course, the people who could actually change things will not learn from history. That must not stop us trying.
Those papers were recently found in an archive, and brought forward for publication, with a forward by his daughter. The afterword is mostly redundant. I wondered if the editor needed the page count increased. Skip to the last few paragraphs which are actually useful.
If you have an ounce of empathy you will find the first section of Tanimoto’s report almost unbearable. He sets out what he saw, in the context of a vibrant city in a kingdom at war. The mindset of the people was that the Emperor was god, so of course they wanted to win. But otherwise, they were… babies, students, teachers, road sweepers, office clerks, insurance agents, restauranteurs, construction workers, railway workers, librarians and religious leaders and pastors, monks and nuns. The hospital workers were under-resourced, since so many were involved with war work. Likewise men of combat age were almost entirely absent.
And there was a bright flash, silence, and a horrific blast of hot wind.
Tanimoto writes the facts as he saw them, experienced them. His dilemma between finding his family and his job as (effectively) air raid warden for his community, tears him this way and that. Then his duty as pastor to his church community kicks in. He spends that first day searching, helping, caring, tearing ruins apart to free people, desperately trying to do all he can.
I had to stop reading, to recover from that first day. I had to stop writing just then, because I teared up again. But after that, the story continues, and the agonies of mind and flesh recede, since people in agony die, and others take their place. With the energy Tanimoko puts into his searching, I wondered how he could possibly keep going. But he did, until forced to rest, and eat pumpkins that had been cooked in the fields. Those small details that say so much.
The rest of the story through the days and months that follow are interesting, and paint a complete picture. But the impact of the first section hurts. And it should hurt, because despite the desire of peace for all time, it seems that the lessons have not been learned. But of course, the people who could actually change things will not learn from history. That must not stop us trying.
Review of advance copy received from Publishers Weekly
Kiyoshi Tanimoto is a Methodist minister, featured in John Hersey's landmark New Yorker article, HIROSHIMA, one of the six eyewitness accounts of the atomic bombing of the city. HIROSHIMA, 8:15 is Tanimoto's own memoir, written after HIROSHIMA, and lost in Hersey's papers until recently. Even if you know Hersey's piece, Tanimoto's first-hand account adds a personal, intimate dimension that needs to be read.
Firstly, there's a beautiful Foreword by Koko Kondo, Tanimoto's daughter - the only baby in their neighbourhood to survive the bombing. She spent half her life escaping the shadow of Hiroshima, understandably not wanting to be defined by it or the stigmas attached to it. She writes with love and understanding about her father and how she came to continue his work in global peace activism and education.
Tanimoto's own words begin with the moment of impact at 8:15am on 6 August 1945. He escapes relatively unscathed and miraculously finds his wife and child alive. Tanimoto sees scenes no one should see. He spends the immediate days, and then weeks, tirelessly helping survivors, even when he and his family are affected by radiation sickness. He conscientiously checks on his parishioners. It's hard to imagine the mix of hope and sorrow when he recounts going from one ruined home to another, reading the notes left on doors about which members of a family have survived and which have not. Tanimoto displays incredible compassion, energy and dedication as he journeys from survival to reconstruction to global education, encountering new challenges and obstacles at every stage. His determination, and that of the people of Hiroshima, that their experience should serve as a warning and argument for peace, is pure inspiration. Any anger is directed towards Japanese leaders and actions rather than those who dropped the bomb. The lack of bitterness is remarkable.
Author David Corn provides an Afterword, summarising Tanimoto's life, the interaction between Hersey and Tanimoto, and the impact Hersey's HIROSHIMA had on the Tanimoto family. Corn also brings the minister's story to a close, illustrating Tanimoto's own impact on the world.
HIROSHIMA, 8:15 is a moving and important testament to the strength of humanity, and the most powerful argument you could make against nuclear weapons. As his daughter notes: "Memory is our hope for survival as human beings, and for the survival of the beautiful world we inhabit."
Firstly, there's a beautiful Foreword by Koko Kondo, Tanimoto's daughter - the only baby in their neighbourhood to survive the bombing. She spent half her life escaping the shadow of Hiroshima, understandably not wanting to be defined by it or the stigmas attached to it. She writes with love and understanding about her father and how she came to continue his work in global peace activism and education.
Tanimoto's own words begin with the moment of impact at 8:15am on 6 August 1945. He escapes relatively unscathed and miraculously finds his wife and child alive. Tanimoto sees scenes no one should see. He spends the immediate days, and then weeks, tirelessly helping survivors, even when he and his family are affected by radiation sickness. He conscientiously checks on his parishioners. It's hard to imagine the mix of hope and sorrow when he recounts going from one ruined home to another, reading the notes left on doors about which members of a family have survived and which have not. Tanimoto displays incredible compassion, energy and dedication as he journeys from survival to reconstruction to global education, encountering new challenges and obstacles at every stage. His determination, and that of the people of Hiroshima, that their experience should serve as a warning and argument for peace, is pure inspiration. Any anger is directed towards Japanese leaders and actions rather than those who dropped the bomb. The lack of bitterness is remarkable.
Author David Corn provides an Afterword, summarising Tanimoto's life, the interaction between Hersey and Tanimoto, and the impact Hersey's HIROSHIMA had on the Tanimoto family. Corn also brings the minister's story to a close, illustrating Tanimoto's own impact on the world.
HIROSHIMA, 8:15 is a moving and important testament to the strength of humanity, and the most powerful argument you could make against nuclear weapons. As his daughter notes: "Memory is our hope for survival as human beings, and for the survival of the beautiful world we inhabit."
June 24, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the opportunity to read Hiroshima, 8:15 as an ARC. All views are my own.
This newly discovered memoir, written by converted Japanese Christian (Methodist) Kiyoshi Tanimoto in the immediate aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing, offers an unfiltered, eyewitness account of the devastation that unfolded at 8:15 a.m. on 6 August 1945. Tanimoto records not only the physical destruction but also the suffering, injuries, and confusion experienced by the people of Hiroshima in the hours and days that followed.
The memoir highlights the often heroic efforts undertaken by Tanimoto and members of his church as they worked tirelessly to rescue survivors, treat unimaginable injuries, and provide comfort amid chaos. The descriptions are harrowing—an assault on the senses at times—but never gratuitous. Tanimoto does not glorify the events of that day, nor does he express hatred toward the Americans. Instead, he reflects on the Japanese government’s deception of its own people and acknowledges that, had Japan possessed the bomb, it likely would have used it too.
I found the smaller details particularly fascinating: how Japanese society functioned during the war, the social and financial pressures people lived under, and the profound shifts that occurred after the bomb. The book also touches on the devastating psychological impact on the crew of the Enola Gay—something rarely discussed and, at the time, deliberately hushed up.
My one frustration was the length and content of the foreword. It reveals so much of Tanimoto’s life and the memoir’s key moments that it undermines the emotional impact of discovering those details within the diary itself.
Overall, this is a powerful and important account. I recommend it to anyone interested in everyday life in wartime Japan, the human experience beneath the mushroom cloud, and the extraordinary dedication of those who fought to keep others alive in the aftermath.
This newly discovered memoir, written by converted Japanese Christian (Methodist) Kiyoshi Tanimoto in the immediate aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing, offers an unfiltered, eyewitness account of the devastation that unfolded at 8:15 a.m. on 6 August 1945. Tanimoto records not only the physical destruction but also the suffering, injuries, and confusion experienced by the people of Hiroshima in the hours and days that followed.
The memoir highlights the often heroic efforts undertaken by Tanimoto and members of his church as they worked tirelessly to rescue survivors, treat unimaginable injuries, and provide comfort amid chaos. The descriptions are harrowing—an assault on the senses at times—but never gratuitous. Tanimoto does not glorify the events of that day, nor does he express hatred toward the Americans. Instead, he reflects on the Japanese government’s deception of its own people and acknowledges that, had Japan possessed the bomb, it likely would have used it too.
I found the smaller details particularly fascinating: how Japanese society functioned during the war, the social and financial pressures people lived under, and the profound shifts that occurred after the bomb. The book also touches on the devastating psychological impact on the crew of the Enola Gay—something rarely discussed and, at the time, deliberately hushed up.
My one frustration was the length and content of the foreword. It reveals so much of Tanimoto’s life and the memoir’s key moments that it undermines the emotional impact of discovering those details within the diary itself.
Overall, this is a powerful and important account. I recommend it to anyone interested in everyday life in wartime Japan, the human experience beneath the mushroom cloud, and the extraordinary dedication of those who fought to keep others alive in the aftermath.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Hiroshima: 8.15 Kiyoshi Tanimoto
5 stars
I have always known about Hiroshima and the dreadful ending of World War 2 when the Americans used this terrible bomb on the Japanese people. I also think I have read the book by John Hersey on this subject many years ago but this book is written by an actual survivor the author Kiyoshi Tanimoto. and I found it so moving.
I think what made this book so inspiring to read is that the author was just out on a normal morning working when suddenly there was a huge flash of light and everything just disappeared,He describes the unbelievable horrors surrounding him in graphic detail but almost in a matter of fact way, concentrating on trying to help anyone he could. The number of people that he personally knew who died or were horribly maimed is just heartbreaking to read but his Christian beliefs that kept him going are so inspiring.
I was also very interested in the way the Japanese nation reacted to this awful tragedy. They seemed to be more devastated by the fact that their country had surrendered and blamed their government for this more than they blamed the Americans for inflicting this event upon them.
As stated before this was an inspiring book for me to read and it must never be forgotten. Anyone alive when this happened will now be at least 81 so it will not be too long before there will be no 'hibakusha' the name given to the survivors left to bear witness.
I think it is generally believed that this event has acted as a deterrent for any further use of nuclear weapons but it is terrifying to think how many nations have got a nuclear bomb and in the wrong hands could use it.
I think this book should be read by anyone who have any interest in the future of the world and in particular by the younger generation in the hope that this will never happen again..
Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net galley
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Hiroshima, 8:15: The Lost Memoir is a remarkable and deeply affecting firsthand account from a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Recently rediscovered and translated, it offers an invaluable perspective on one of history's most devastating events.
I did find the translation a little clunky at times, which occasionally interrupted the flow of the narrative. However, that feels like a very small criticism in the face of the importance of the memoir itself. This is not a book you read for polished prose. You read it because it preserves the testimony of someone who witnessed the unimaginable.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its refusal to offer easy answers. Reading it left me wrestling with the same difficult questions that have surrounded the bombing for decades. The bomb undoubtedly hastened the end of the war and may have saved lives that would otherwise have been lost in a prolonged conflict. But this memoir forces you to confront the immense human cost of that decision. The descriptions of the immediate destruction, the lingering effects of radiation, and the suffering endured by ordinary people are harrowing and almost impossible to fully comprehend from the safety of the present day.
I also found the author's Christian perspective particularly interesting. It added another layer to the memoir, shaping how they interpreted both the tragedy they experienced and the challenge of finding meaning and hope afterwards. It is a viewpoint that I hadn't encountered often in accounts of Hiroshima and it gave the memoir an added depth.
This is not an easy read, nor should it be. It is an important historical document that reminds us that behind every statistic are individual lives, families, and communities forever changed. Despite the occasionally awkward translation, I'm very glad this memoir has finally been brought to a wider audience.
I did find the translation a little clunky at times, which occasionally interrupted the flow of the narrative. However, that feels like a very small criticism in the face of the importance of the memoir itself. This is not a book you read for polished prose. You read it because it preserves the testimony of someone who witnessed the unimaginable.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its refusal to offer easy answers. Reading it left me wrestling with the same difficult questions that have surrounded the bombing for decades. The bomb undoubtedly hastened the end of the war and may have saved lives that would otherwise have been lost in a prolonged conflict. But this memoir forces you to confront the immense human cost of that decision. The descriptions of the immediate destruction, the lingering effects of radiation, and the suffering endured by ordinary people are harrowing and almost impossible to fully comprehend from the safety of the present day.
I also found the author's Christian perspective particularly interesting. It added another layer to the memoir, shaping how they interpreted both the tragedy they experienced and the challenge of finding meaning and hope afterwards. It is a viewpoint that I hadn't encountered often in accounts of Hiroshima and it gave the memoir an added depth.
This is not an easy read, nor should it be. It is an important historical document that reminds us that behind every statistic are individual lives, families, and communities forever changed. Despite the occasionally awkward translation, I'm very glad this memoir has finally been brought to a wider audience.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley and Ebury Publishing, Penguin Random House for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
I have never been so honoured to receive an ARC. I was moved by Rev Tanimoto's story all over again, after having read John Hersey's article 'Hiroshima' numerous times over the years. It is difficult to imagine the horror of that day, of the weeks and months that followed, when visiting the city as it is now. But the Peace Park and museum serve as sombre but hopeful reminders, as does the testimony of those that were there. Tanimoto does not paint himself as a hero, but offers a blunt account of what he felt compelled to do. As a Christian minister, as a human being, he did what he could.
This is a work in three parts, all very complimentary: a foreward by his daughter, Koko; Tanimoto's candid account written in English a few years after the event and filed away in an American University until recently; and an epilogue recapping his life and the message of peace and unity he spent years trying to convey. Surprisingly, many survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki felt a lack of bitterness towards these actions, but were angry at the Japanese authorities for dragging their country into a war they could not possibly win and for the atrocities committed by their military in China and Korea. Through Tanimoto's words, you can start to understand this perspective and how views shifted after Japan's surrender.
Strangely, it was a treat to be reunited with Tanimoto and his fellow hibakusha from Hersey's article, but from a different perspective. I felt oddly reassured that they occasionally met up as a support group of sorts, dealing with their injuries, trauma and uninvited fame.
This is a perfect companion piece to the New York Times article 'Hiroshima'.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ebury Publishing, Penguin Random House for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
I have never been so honoured to receive an ARC. I was moved by Rev Tanimoto's story all over again, after having read John Hersey's article 'Hiroshima' numerous times over the years. It is difficult to imagine the horror of that day, of the weeks and months that followed, when visiting the city as it is now. But the Peace Park and museum serve as sombre but hopeful reminders, as does the testimony of those that were there. Tanimoto does not paint himself as a hero, but offers a blunt account of what he felt compelled to do. As a Christian minister, as a human being, he did what he could.
This is a work in three parts, all very complimentary: a foreward by his daughter, Koko; Tanimoto's candid account written in English a few years after the event and filed away in an American University until recently; and an epilogue recapping his life and the message of peace and unity he spent years trying to convey. Surprisingly, many survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki felt a lack of bitterness towards these actions, but were angry at the Japanese authorities for dragging their country into a war they could not possibly win and for the atrocities committed by their military in China and Korea. Through Tanimoto's words, you can start to understand this perspective and how views shifted after Japan's surrender.
Strangely, it was a treat to be reunited with Tanimoto and his fellow hibakusha from Hersey's article, but from a different perspective. I felt oddly reassured that they occasionally met up as a support group of sorts, dealing with their injuries, trauma and uninvited fame.
This is a perfect companion piece to the New York Times article 'Hiroshima'.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was interested about this book as this is a lost manuscript and historically so significant and we all know this nuclear bomb ended the war in Japan and ultimately the end of World War 2.
Growing up the feeling from relatives who had lived through the war was this was so necessary but was it ? apart from famous footage I knew very little of the lives of the people of Hiroshima on the 6th August 1945 - 81 years ago. This is not someome who has researched this, this is first hand and does make for uncomfortsble reading but this is their story and it needs to be told.
These were real people who were not part of Japanese cruelty, they did not personslly invade Singapore and Malya they were ordinary people who happened to be a target to end a world war.
There was the sheer helplessness of the people who did not know the long term effects we do now but why would they have known. Written by the author and understandably is his way of writing in english so ignore the reviews about being stilited this is his personal account. I particularly aplaud his daughter for writing the forward and from a childs view as well.
This is such an importsnt historical account not just on the day but for remembrance, rebuilding a city looking beyone to peace and why these events should not happen. The human cost of war in this story is just so unforgivable.
This needs to be on school curiculums for history GCSE and A Level. There is so much to learn here.
A recommended read to understand this time in history where soon there will be no one left to tell this story.
Due for publication August 6th 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, Modern Library and the people of Hiroshima for letting me read this significant historical account.
Growing up the feeling from relatives who had lived through the war was this was so necessary but was it ? apart from famous footage I knew very little of the lives of the people of Hiroshima on the 6th August 1945 - 81 years ago. This is not someome who has researched this, this is first hand and does make for uncomfortsble reading but this is their story and it needs to be told.
These were real people who were not part of Japanese cruelty, they did not personslly invade Singapore and Malya they were ordinary people who happened to be a target to end a world war.
There was the sheer helplessness of the people who did not know the long term effects we do now but why would they have known. Written by the author and understandably is his way of writing in english so ignore the reviews about being stilited this is his personal account. I particularly aplaud his daughter for writing the forward and from a childs view as well.
This is such an importsnt historical account not just on the day but for remembrance, rebuilding a city looking beyone to peace and why these events should not happen. The human cost of war in this story is just so unforgivable.
This needs to be on school curiculums for history GCSE and A Level. There is so much to learn here.
A recommended read to understand this time in history where soon there will be no one left to tell this story.
Due for publication August 6th 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, Modern Library and the people of Hiroshima for letting me read this significant historical account.
August 5, 2026
Hiroshima, 8:15: The Lost Memoir is a very important book in my opinion, especially in light of recent events. It covers Methodist minister Kiyoshi Tanimoto's experience during the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, with the atomic bomb being dropped at 8:15 am.
During my years in Japan I visited Hiroshima and had a lovely time. It was an amazing city, one of my favorite places in Japan, and its people were extremely friendly and welcoming. Walking around the memorials in town was very sombering and it's hard to imagine what the city went through back then.
At one point in this memoir I remember thinking that I was getting lost with all the names, deaths, injuries... but then I realized that this is exactly how it was back then. So many injured, so many deaths, an attack affecting every single person in the city. The writing is also very fact-based and a bit stilted at times, but this made it even more real; it's a true account of what happened to these people and how they died.
What especially stood out to me were the makeshift gravestones: Tanimoto would visit houses and be met by a sign containing information regarding the family's whereabouts, but also, information about who had perished in this very house and in this very spot.
This memoir is moving and powerful, and it's easy to feel the respect Tanimoto had for those who had died in his city, no matter if they were part of his church or not. I think this is a book everyone should read and I highly recommend it.
I’d like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this arc.
During my years in Japan I visited Hiroshima and had a lovely time. It was an amazing city, one of my favorite places in Japan, and its people were extremely friendly and welcoming. Walking around the memorials in town was very sombering and it's hard to imagine what the city went through back then.
At one point in this memoir I remember thinking that I was getting lost with all the names, deaths, injuries... but then I realized that this is exactly how it was back then. So many injured, so many deaths, an attack affecting every single person in the city. The writing is also very fact-based and a bit stilted at times, but this made it even more real; it's a true account of what happened to these people and how they died.
What especially stood out to me were the makeshift gravestones: Tanimoto would visit houses and be met by a sign containing information regarding the family's whereabouts, but also, information about who had perished in this very house and in this very spot.
This memoir is moving and powerful, and it's easy to feel the respect Tanimoto had for those who had died in his city, no matter if they were part of his church or not. I think this is a book everyone should read and I highly recommend it.
I’d like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this arc.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Receiving an advance copy of 8.15 Hiroshima, from Netgalley, was a privilege. This is a beautifully written and deeply moving account that brings renewed attention to the long lost memoir of Kiyoshi Tanimoto, one of the most recognisable survivors of the Hiroshima bombing. His firsthand testimony is invaluable, not only as a historical document but as a profoundly human story of courage, loss, and resilience. The foreword by his daughter adds a touching personal dimension, reminding readers that the legacy of Hiroshima extends across generations. Through Tanimoto's words, the unimaginable reality of the atomic bomb is made painfully vivid, ensuring that the experiences of those who lived through it are neither diminished nor forgotten.
What makes this book so powerful is the way it captures the devastation of atomic warfare on every level: physical, emotional, mental, cultural, diplomatic, and material. It serves as a stark reminder of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons and why their destructive power must never be forgotten. J. Robert Oppenheimer famously reflected after the Trinity test, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds," and this memoir gives heartbreaking substance to those words by revealing their human cost. At its heart, 8.15 Hiroshima is a call to remember August 1945; not only Hiroshima, but also Nagasaki, and to honour the lives forever changed by those events. It is an essential and unforgettable read that deserves the widest possible audience.
What makes this book so powerful is the way it captures the devastation of atomic warfare on every level: physical, emotional, mental, cultural, diplomatic, and material. It serves as a stark reminder of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons and why their destructive power must never be forgotten. J. Robert Oppenheimer famously reflected after the Trinity test, "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds," and this memoir gives heartbreaking substance to those words by revealing their human cost. At its heart, 8.15 Hiroshima is a call to remember August 1945; not only Hiroshima, but also Nagasaki, and to honour the lives forever changed by those events. It is an essential and unforgettable read that deserves the widest possible audience.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Hiroshima, 8:15 is a matter-of-fact and gripping recently discovered memoir by a Methodist pastor, Kiyoshi Tanimoto, who witnessed the immediate aftermath of the Hiroshima nuclear bomb on August 6, 1945. He was on the outskirts of the city when it occurred and his goal was to reach his wife and child and home church. He encountered walking death in many forms and was able to offer comfort and care in any way that he could, including identification, offering water and food, finding shelter, and helping bury the dead. Descriptive horrors are very difficult to read but important. Not only did he see the immediate suffering but also came to know "the atomic disease" in so many later on. Tanimoto's unwavering faith in God really stood out in my mind as he went to great lengths to fulfill the Great Commission in spite of unspeakable tragedy. He lived Christianity. He became a voice for the Hiroshima survivors and emphasized the importance of preventing future nuclear warfare. The fact that America downplayed this terrible event must have been unfathomably crushing to those involved.
Tanimoto's raw and heartbreaking yet hopeful writing is highly impactful and tore at my heart. His kindness in action must have given countless people reprieve, even for just a moment. It is impossible to grasp the enormity of this calamity but his stark words spell it out clearly.
My sincere thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this stellar and powerful book which should be required reading globally.
Tanimoto's raw and heartbreaking yet hopeful writing is highly impactful and tore at my heart. His kindness in action must have given countless people reprieve, even for just a moment. It is impossible to grasp the enormity of this calamity but his stark words spell it out clearly.
My sincere thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this stellar and powerful book which should be required reading globally.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
At 8:15 on the 8th of August 1945, the atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Thousands of people died instantly. Many more were seriously injured and either succumbed to their injuries or died from radiation poisoning. Homes and businesses were destroyed. The landscape of the city, and the lives of the survivors, were changed forever. 🇯🇵
Kiyoshi Tanimoto was one such survivor. A Methodist minister, Kiyoshi had been just 2km away when the bomb dropped. Fearing for his wife and baby daughter, he returned to Hiroshima. The sights that greeted him shocked him. Survivors, many naked and badly burned, all leaving the city they had called home. 🇯🇵
Kiyoshi Tanimoto was a true hero of the time. He dedicated his life to helping the survivors, often while suffering the effects of radiation poisoning himself, and setting the record straight with the world, about life in Hiroshima post atomic bomb. 🇯🇵
Hiroshima, 8:15 is the account, hand written in English by Kiyoshi, of that dreadful day and all that followed. It is a harrowing, poignant read. One moment in particular stands out for me; when Kiyoshi met Robert Lewis, former Captain and co-pilot of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. 🇯🇵
The inscription on the memorial cenotaph in Hiroshima reads "Rest in Peace, for the mistake shall not be repeated." If only we could be sure. 🇯🇵
Thanks to Ebury Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.
Kiyoshi Tanimoto was one such survivor. A Methodist minister, Kiyoshi had been just 2km away when the bomb dropped. Fearing for his wife and baby daughter, he returned to Hiroshima. The sights that greeted him shocked him. Survivors, many naked and badly burned, all leaving the city they had called home. 🇯🇵
Kiyoshi Tanimoto was a true hero of the time. He dedicated his life to helping the survivors, often while suffering the effects of radiation poisoning himself, and setting the record straight with the world, about life in Hiroshima post atomic bomb. 🇯🇵
Hiroshima, 8:15 is the account, hand written in English by Kiyoshi, of that dreadful day and all that followed. It is a harrowing, poignant read. One moment in particular stands out for me; when Kiyoshi met Robert Lewis, former Captain and co-pilot of the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima. 🇯🇵
The inscription on the memorial cenotaph in Hiroshima reads "Rest in Peace, for the mistake shall not be repeated." If only we could be sure. 🇯🇵
Thanks to Ebury Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Hiroshima, 8:15: The Lost Memoir by Kiyoshi Tanimoto is a deeply moving account of the tragic events of the 6th December 1945.
The original narrative was written in 1947 by Kiyoshi Tanimoto who was a Methodist minister living in Hiroshima, the book is his account of the impact of the nuclear bomb on the day of the blast and the days that follow.
Tanimoto’s account of his experiences was left forgotten for decades in a university archive and now rediscovered gives us his story is a firsthand survivor of the A Bomb. His account starts with the initial blast and then develops to describe the aftereffects of the explosion on the surviving population of the city.
The story explains in detail Tanimoto’s relentless, round-the-clock efforts to navigate the incinerated streets, searching for his family and congregation while acting as a "rescuing angel" for strangers and friends.
This book is a thought provoking read and despite its darkness and often harrowing subject matter is anchored by human compassion and an enduring commitment to reconciliation.
Hiroshima, 8:15 : The Lost Memoir, is a harrowing but essential piece of literature for our time. The book shifts the historical perspective from the detached, macro-level view of atomic warfare down to the ground-level reality of human resilience. Decades after Tanimoto’s account was written, it is still a stark warning that feels more urgent than ever in our modern world.
The original narrative was written in 1947 by Kiyoshi Tanimoto who was a Methodist minister living in Hiroshima, the book is his account of the impact of the nuclear bomb on the day of the blast and the days that follow.
Tanimoto’s account of his experiences was left forgotten for decades in a university archive and now rediscovered gives us his story is a firsthand survivor of the A Bomb. His account starts with the initial blast and then develops to describe the aftereffects of the explosion on the surviving population of the city.
The story explains in detail Tanimoto’s relentless, round-the-clock efforts to navigate the incinerated streets, searching for his family and congregation while acting as a "rescuing angel" for strangers and friends.
This book is a thought provoking read and despite its darkness and often harrowing subject matter is anchored by human compassion and an enduring commitment to reconciliation.
Hiroshima, 8:15 : The Lost Memoir, is a harrowing but essential piece of literature for our time. The book shifts the historical perspective from the detached, macro-level view of atomic warfare down to the ground-level reality of human resilience. Decades after Tanimoto’s account was written, it is still a stark warning that feels more urgent than ever in our modern world.
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