Japanese author and survivor of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima Takashi Tanemori will speak at the Fred Jones Museum of Art on Tuesday.
Tanemori survived the 1945 bombing that took the lives of his parents and two of his sisters. Haunted by his family's deaths and the aftermath of the war, Tanemori immigrated to the U.S. after a failed suicide attempt at the age of 18, according to his personal website.
After several years in the U.S., Tanemori studied to become a Christian minister, started a restaurant and, in 1985, devoted himself to fostering forgiveness and helping future generations live in peace and harmony.
Tanemori also founded the Silkworm Peace Institute, an organization dedicated to international peace.
In 2007, Tanemori wrote “Hiroshima: Bridge to Forgiveness,” chronicling his journey from Japan to America. In 2008, Tanemori produced a commissioned 80-piece exhibit for the Atomic Testing Site Museum in Las Vegas, Nev.
Now in his late seventies, Tanemori continues to speak to groups about his experiences and is committed to defeating what he calls mankind’s greatest enemy: fear and hatred that cause darkness in the heart.
Tanemori will speak at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Sandy Bell Gallery.
