A Song for Nagasaki
On December 11, 2014, Xavier University and the Japan American Society hosted local artist Barbara Trauth and Professor Kevin Doak of Georgetown University in celebrating the life and message of Dr. Nagai Takashi. The event included the unveiling of a new sculpture (left) by Barbara Trauth, inspired by Fr. Paul Glynn’s biography of Dr. Takashi, A Song for Nagasaki, and a talk by Professor Doak on the life of Dr. Takashi. A Song for Nagasaki
Barbara Trauth is a native Cincinnatian. She has a B.S. from Edgecliff College of Xavier University and studied painting and sculpture at The Art Academy of Cincinnati. She and her husband, Joseph Trauth, have five children. She has been in many shows in the city, including solo shows. Her work is in private and corporate collections in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Kentucky. For several years she did freelance fashion illustrations for the newspapers in the city. She also has a life size bronze on the campus of Xavier University and a large sculpture at St. Ursula Academy and the University of Dayton.
The winner of the 2014 First Terada Mari Japan Study Award, Professor Doak specializes in the study of nationalism and democratic thought and culture in modern Japan, as well as in the literary, cultural and philosophical expressions of public thought and values. He is co-editor of The Journal of Japanese Studies and sits on the executive board of the Society for Japanese Studies. His writings in Japanese have been prominently published in major Japanese newspapers and journals and cited by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in his book Atarashii Kuni E (2013). Professor Doak’s current research focuses on issues related to politics and religion (especially Catholicism) in modern Japan, ranging from jurisprudence, fiction and literary works, and theology. He has been widely published in the Japanese leading newspapers and media.
Professor Kevin Doak's talk:
“A Reason for the Hope Within: Nagai Takashi’s Catholic Understanding of the Bombing of Nagasaki.”
Dr. Takashi Nagai is the subject of Fr. Paul Glynn’s A Song for Nagasaki, the biography that inspired local artist Barbara to create the sculpture unveiled at this event. Dr. Nagai is also the subject of the event’s talk, in which Professor Doak gave a brief overview of Dr. Nagai’s life and conversion to Catholicism, experience as an atomic bomb victim in Nagasaki, and most importantly Dr. Nagai's legacy, a view that even this horrific bombing (in which he lost his wife and many friends) should be considered a grace from God, specifically an offering of the unblemished victims in atonement for sin.
Event sponsors:
Provost and CAO, Scott A. Chadwick, Ph.D.
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Janice B. Walker, Ph.D.
The Japan American Society