Published in 1965, this is a story of the aftermath of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. It centers around the family of Shizuma Shigematsu, his wife Shigeko and their niece Yasuko. Shizuma has a job that requires him to travel around the city, and he relates his observations. He also transcribes Yasuko’s journal to provide to the family whose son may be interested in marrying her, though she is rumored to be a victim of the “black rain.”

This novel vividly depicts the human suffering from the bombing, including a massive number of deaths, devastation of the city, radioactive fallout, and the general confusion of the populace. It is a powerful portrayal of the human cost of atomic war, and in particular, the horrifying results of radiation sickness. It is fiction but is based on extensive research of actual accounts and interviews. It is a book for those interested in comprehending the entirety of WWII. ( )

A very well written book. This is officially the last book I will ever read about Hiroshima. What atrocities humans inflict on one another. ( )

Wow! This is such a powerful novel in the same way that [All Quiet On the Western Front] was for me. Both were books about war told from the side that for me would be the "enemy", but in reality became my own side as that was the point of view from which the story was written. Neither [All Quiet on the Western Front] nor [Black Rain] were politicized in any manner other than the mention of the "enemy", but rather each novel made a point about war in general.

[Black Rain] is about the atomic bomb being dropped at Hiroshima, Japan. In this story, Shigematsu and his niece Yasuka work in a factory which manufactures military clothing. His manager sends him out on a fruitless search for coal. Shigematsu and his wife worry that their niece Yasuka, who lives with them, might not be marriageable if she contracts radiation sickness. Of course, at the time that the bomb was dropped, no one living in Japan had any idea what an atomic bomb or radiation sickness was.

The horror of this novel is the inhumanity of it all. For page after page, the reader is left with the ruins, the pain, the illness, and the atomic bomb's devastating aftermath. There is no respite from any of this throughout the entire novel. I felt as if I had to read through this book very slowly just to understand the cost and effects of war on individuals and families, politics aside. It's not a pretty picture and leaves me with little faith in humanity although the story is extremely well done with most of its details having been gleaned from actual interviews and diaries of survivors of the Hiroshima nightmare.

Don't be afraid to pick up this book. It's necessary to understand what can happen in a world unhinged. ( )

https://msarki.tumblr.com/post/152080256173/black-rain-by-masuji-ibuse

Emperor Hirohito of Japan got a little more than he bargained for when the mighty force of the USA came down on his country back in 1945. In my case, my neighbor as well has a bomb. I am attempting a diplomatic solution to our problem seeing that common sense and decency does not prevail here in my apartment community. The gall of some people.

In the notes section of my favorite philosophical book [b:Deathbound Subjectivity|1106618|Deathbound Subjectivity|Alphonso Lingis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1383513112s/1106618.jpg|1093557] written by [a:Alphonso Lingis|241343|Alphonso Lingis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1306588601p2/241343.jpg] I found a reference to this title Black Rain. Professor Lingis suggested the book as important reading. Has everything to do with his subject of death which has become, because of the atomic bomb, something that comes for us in a much different manner than nature, which actually profanes and robs us of the so-called natural death experience. Black Rain is not a new book. Written in 1966 by Japanese author Ibuse Masuji it tells the story of a neighborhood of families that survived the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima by the USA. The novel specifically follows the story of Shizuma Shigematsu and his wife, Shigeko who are guardians of their niece, Yasuko and are charged with finding her a husband. Not an easy thing to do in the aftermath of radioactive rage. Health concerns pose grave difficulties in making a perfect match. The novel focuses on the human perspective of the suffering generated from this bombing instead of making a bigger deal in a political and more judgmental context.

The novel takes place in 1950 and alternates between the present and Shigematsu's journal entries from 1945 describing the factual horrors of the bombing aftermath. The feeling transcribed is the plight of the survivors struggling with discrimination and social isolation due to radiation poisoning. Details in the journal describe the burns, the drawn-out deaths, and burials of the early victims, and make for difficult reading at times. I was interested in reading about the days following the bombing, but after about three days worth of the the linear story being reported it became a bore. Not that I am insensitive to what happened, I am not. I think the bombings were terrible. So many innocent people burned, disfigured, murdered, diseased, their lives ruined forever by this ultimate act of aggression. Some would argue that the bombings saved millions of lives in the long run. Perhaps so. But I think we're in for more of the same and in worse proportions than even Hiroshima and Nagasaki proved to be. Given the fact that there are enough warheads to destroy the planet many times over it doesn't take an expert to see that some day the bomb will be in the hands of people who have no regard for any human life, even their own.

I wanted more story about the niece who could not find a husband. I was beginning to like Yasuko from the very beginning of the book until the author veered away from his most interesting subject of all. I am sure the novel takes us back into that story at some point but half way through it I had to quit. It just wasn't that good. Too simple. Too linear. Too much reportage. Adding to my discomfort is our new neighbor in the apartment next to ours who is a heavy smoker, and I am dealing with my own nuclear fallout and air pollution. I am, in fact, being bombed.

For obvious reasons I suggested my wife speak to the nice neighbor about his smoking, so she did so a week ago. She said he was a nice young man, he promised to try to contain the smoke, and she offered the novel idea of "why not open a window?" It didn't work. The bombings continued. Sometimes with air raid warnings and sometimes not. It got to the point that when my wife heard the young sous chef come home from work around 10 PM she would go into a mini panic as she knew his chain smoking would begin in earnest. It got to the point where she wasn't sleeping at all, having to move to the living room and sleep on the couch, the floor, a cushion, and never get the sleep she needed in order to teach children the next day. I began to suffer as well because my wife was no longer with me in the bedroom, I no longer nightly felt her naked flesh pressed to mine, so I took matters into my own hands. I wrote him a letter.

Dear Neighbor,

I am asking you to refrain from smoking in your apartment if you cannot prevent your second-hand smoke from entering our apartment. My wife spoke to you last week about this and I do think you have tried, but it isn't good enough. My wife is highly sensitive to smoke and she did not sleep again. Second-hand smoke is dangerous and is documented to be hazardous to our health.

My wife and I both smoked many years ago and we know about the addiction and how smokers really do not have any idea about how irritating their smoke and smells are. But not only do we need our sleep in order to function in the world, we need to feel our air in our home is not dangerous to breathe. The good news for you is we are moving out around the first week of March. From that time forward you can smoke your brains out with no complaint from me, though I do wish you would stop for the sake of your own health.

In the meantime, please stop, and if you cannot stop then smoke in your bathroom with the window open. Your smoke finds it way through the old holes in this place, the pipe and cable entries, and even the ceiling joists. I have not complained yet to the management, but I will if you do not oblige our request. Please respect our need for safe air and refrain from smoking for three weeks. I feel you are using a dangerous weapon against us and I am unarmed to protect ourselves, which isn't a good feeling. Your smoke and smell from it makes us both very angry and I do not think that has been your intent. But please help to immediately correct this bad situation. We will love you for it.


Thank you.

Your neighbor
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Review: Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse. This is a story created by real life information from diaries and interviews from victims of the bombing of Hiroshima. The horrid results of the aftermath is written with words free from gross-interpretation yet the author manages to reveal the magnitude of the human suffering caused by the Atom bomb.

It’s like riding a roller-coaster emotionally. It was written better then I would have expected. The author’s sensitivity to the complex bouts of illnesses that grew periodically through the years was told with some gentle humor for which he is famous for to keep some of the horror impact cushioned for the reader. There is a great story here that kept me reading because of its powerful messages. A past of drastic horror inflicted by one group of men upon another can lead to something of this nature happening again and knowing and feeling what the aftermath of this horror did and could happen to any country.

At first I didn’t like the style of Masji Ibuse written work but it grew on me. I think it was because I haven’t read many books by Japanese authors. I recommend this book on account of the story it told and because Masuji Ibuse, while creating this story, also thought of his readers …..
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