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Toshiko Sasaki
A Methodist minister, and one of the six central characters of Hiroshima, Reverend Tanimoto is uninjured in the bombing on August 6, 1945. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, he tends to the wounded, ferries victims across the river toward a Christian Novitiate where they can obtain medical care, and generally prioritizes the happiness and safety of other people. For the rest of his life, Hersey explains in the long final chapter of the book, Tanimoto devotes himself to raising money for his church (which was destroyed in the explosion) and campaigning for the design of a global peace center in Hiroshima. Tanimoto succeeds in raising funds for his church, and for burn victims from the bombing; however, he has difficulty enacting any of his more ambitious plans, partly because he acquires a reputation for being self-absorbed and publicity-starved.
Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto Quotes in Hiroshima
The Hiroshima quotes below are all either spoken by Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto or refer to Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1 Quotes
A hundred thousand people were killed by the atomic bomb, and these six were among the survivors. They still wonder why they lived when so many others died.
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In the first paragraphs of his book on Hiroshima, Hersey sketches out the format of his work: by examining the lives of six ordinary people living in Hiroshima on the day of the explosion, Hersey will paint a vivid picture of what it must have been like in the city on August 6, 1945. At the time, Hersey’s method of reporting on Hiroshima was almost unprecedented: journalists tended to report on major events like the bombing using a more removed, objective style of writing. It’s worth thinking a little more closely about how Hersey came to interview these six survivors Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate e
Chapter 2 Quotes
All the way, he overtook dreadfully burned and lacerated people, and in his guilt he turned to right and left as he hurried and said to some of them, "Excuse me for having no burden like yours."
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In this scene, the Reverence Kiyoshi Tanimoto walks toward the atomic blast, while most others—terribly wounded—are running away. Tanimoto moves towards the blast because he is concerned that his church congregants were killed in the explosion, and he also wants to care for his wife and child, who were considerably closer to the blast than he was. But while Tanimoto passes by thousands of horribly injured people, he begins to feel ashamed. At one point, he even apologizes for not being injured—for “having no burden,” as he says. Tanimoto’s extreme humility and irrational sense of shame could be attributed to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas
He experienced such horror at disturbing the dead—preventing them, he momentarily felt, from launching their craft and going on their ghostly way— that he said out loud, "Please forgive me for taking this boat. I must use it for others, who are alive."
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At the end of Chapter Two, Reverend Tanimoto steals a small boat from a few dead Hiroshimans. Tanimoto needs the boat to serve others: he wants to use it to ferry wounded people across the river toward a Christian Novitiate whose members can provide medical treatment. Tanimoto regrets having to steal the boat—he’s a highly moral person who has spent his entire life studying the dictums of Christianity However, Tanimoto breaks one rule—against stealing—in order to honor an even more important one, that people should help others in any way they can. It’s indicative of the book that, even when Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque p
Chapter 3 Quotes
The sounds came from one of the sandspits, and those in the punt could see, in the reflected light of the still-burning fires, a number of wounded people lying at the edge of the river, already partly covered by the flooding tide. Mr. Tanimoto wanted to help them, but the priests were afraid that Father Schiffer would die if they didn't hurry, and they urged their ferryman along.
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In Chapter Three, Reverend Tanimoto and some of the other priests who survive the explosion are faced with the challenge of transporting some of their own friends across the river toward a Christian Novitiate, where their friends can get the medical attention they need. Reverend Tanimoto ferries Father Schiffer, one of the priests who works alongside Father Kleinsorge, across the river. During the trip, Tanimoto sees people who are in danger of drowning in the rapidly rising river. However, the other people in the boat, friends of Father Schiffer, insist that Tanimoto prioritize helping Schiffer. The passage is important because Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima
When they came to know the war was ended—that is, Japan was defeated, they, of course, were deeply disappointed, but followed after their Emperor's commandment in calm spirit, making whole-hearted sacrifice for the everlasting peace of the world—and Japan started her new way.
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At the end of Chapter Three, Hersey quotes extensively from a letter written by Kiyoshi Tanimoto. In the letter, Tanimoto describes the radio broadcast made by Emperor Hirohito, the supreme leader of Japan. Hirohito exerted very little true political power, but he was an important symbolic figurehead, and when he announced that Japan was surrendering to the Allied forces, it was clear to all Japanese citizens that this was the final word on the matter. The vast majority of the Japanese people listening to Hirohito’s broadcast had never heard the Emperor speak before; previously, the Emperor was a mysterious, almost Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eu
Chapter 5 Quotes
Nor did he have any place in the Japanese peace movement, for he had been out of the country at crucial moments in its development and, besides, his Christian outlook made him suspicious of the radical groups that were on the cutting edge of antinuclear activity.
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In the sixth and longest portion of Chapter Five, Hersey writes about the later life of Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto. Tanimoto’s later career was more explicitly political and tied to the Hiroshima bombing than those of the other five main characters in the book. Indeed, Tanimoto became a noted activist, traveling to America to raise funds for pacifist causes, the rebuilding of his church, the construction of a global peace center in Hiroshima, and for reconstructive surgery for female survivors of the explosion. However, as the passage makes clear, Tanimoto’s activism had only limited success. He raised funds for various causes, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequ
He was slowing down a bit. His memory, like the world's, was getting spotty.
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Hiroshima ends on a melancholy note. Reverend Tanimoto is now an old man. Although he’s lived a fulfilling life, during which he’s provided comfort, food, and medical care for thousands of people, he’s been unable to do much to reverse the growth of the world’s collective nuclear arsenal. It seems a near-certainty that there will be a full-scale nuclear war one day—there are simply too many missiles and too many politicians willing to use them. The only real deterrent to nuclear war, one could argue, is the memory of the nightmarish aftermath of Hiroshima. And yet, as Hersey writes here, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusan
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Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto Character Timeline in Hiroshima
The timeline below shows where the character Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto appears in Hiroshima. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter One: A Noiseless Flash
...his mission house; Dr. Terufumi Sasaki is walking through the city hospital; and Reverend Kiyoshi Tanimoto is standing outside a house in the western suburb. A hundred thousand people die in...
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Reverend Tanimoto awakes early at his parsonage. His wife and child are staying with a friend in...
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Chapter Two: The Fire
After the explosion, Reverend Tanimoto stares at the wounded soldiers crawling out of their dugout. He sees an old woman...
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Tanimoto runs back to the garden outside the house where he’d been carrying the cabinet. From...
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Mr. Tanimoto runs into the city of Hiroshima, desperate to find his family and his church. He...
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Tanimoto comes to a large Shinto shrine surrounded by burning buildings. There, by incredible coincidence, he...
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Mr. Tanimoto continues toward his neighborhood, which is full of injured, bleeding people. He notices a small...
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Mr. Tanimoto arrives in the park, where he finds it difficult to distinguish between the living and...
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The rain subsides, and Mr. Tanimoto and Father Kleinsorge resume helping the bombing victims. Tanimoto and Kleinsorge decide to run into...
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As evening falls, Mr. Tanimoto encounters his neighbor, a young woman named Mrs. Kamai. She begs him to help her...
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Chapter Three: Details Are Being Investigated
...but they worry that walking will cause the men to lose too much blood. Mr. Tanimoto volunteers to use the boat to transport the priests away from the city, where they...
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Mr. Tanimoto helps to lower Father Schiffer into his boat, along with two other priests, and he...
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Mr. Tanimoto paddles the boat to the sandspit, where he finds about twenty men and women. He...
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Mr. Tanimoto transports the priests upriver. Nearby, there is a large case of rice cakes, which a...
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...to rest. When a gas storage tower bursts into flame, they shriek with delight. Mr. Tanimoto, however, falls asleep immediately. The next morning, he awakens to the sight of dead bodies...
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Mr. Tanimoto decides to find a doctor to bring to Asano Park. He crosses the river in...
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On the morning of August 9, Mr. Tanimoto is in the park, tending to the wounded. He notices that his neighbor, Mrs. Kamai,...
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On August 11, Mr. Tanimoto returns to his ruined parsonage. In the ruins, he finds church records and cooking tools....
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...announcement: on behalf of the Japanese state, he is surrendering to the Allied forces. Mr. Tanimoto later explains that hearing the Emperor’s voice is an almost religious experience. It feels depressing,...
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Chapter Four: Panic Grass and Feverfew
...Myeko, begins to feel weak, but her son and other daughter seem perfectly fine. Mr. Tanimoto begins to feel ill, too. Nakamura, Myeko, Tanimoto, and Kleinsorge don’t realize it, but they...
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Mr. Tanimoto is hospitalized with a fever of 104 degrees; doctors treat him as best they can....
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Mr. Tanimoto becomes friendly with Father Kleinsorge. He is jealous, however, that Kleinsorge and his fellow priests...
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...the work he once could do.” Furthermore, Dr. Fujii has lost his hospital, and Mr. Tanimoto has lost his church. In other words, even six of the luckiest Hiroshimans present on...
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Chapter Five: The Aftermath
In 1946, Kiyoshi Tanimoto is trying to rebuild his church. He has very little money, especially since his building...
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In America, Tanimoto campaigns for world peace, making emotional speeches and forging useful connections with American activists. In...
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Tanimoto and Norman Cousins, the editor of the Saturday Review, launch a petition for the United...
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Back in Hiroshima in 1950, Tanimoto uses the 10,000 dollars he raised to build a new church, and he returns to...
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Tanimoto returns Japan and sets to work founding a Bible study group for his proposed peace...
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...with radioactive fallout” from a nuclear test near Bikini. Norman Cousins, still in contact with Tanimoto, travels to New York to raise funds for more plastic surgery—he wants New York doctors...
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In 1955, Tanimoto travels to America with some of the women who are to receive plastic surgery. He...
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The day after the interview, the Japanese government telegrams the United States, explaining that Tanimoto is “something of a publicity seeker,” more interested in raising funds for a memorial peace...
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Tanimoto’s tour of the United States raises lots of money—from the TV interview alone, he earns...
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Mr. Tanimoto’s daughter, Koko Tanimoto, was only an infant during the bombing. Later on, she begins traveling...
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In 1959, a baby girl is left outside Tanimoto’s church, and Tanimoto decides to raise the child, along with others who lost parents during...
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Almost forty years after the bombing, the Hiroshima peace center that Tanimoto proposed is “nominally still in place,” though it consists mostly of an orphanage for children...
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