NARROWSBURG, NY and ONLINE — On Sunday, August 18 at 10:15 a.m., Japanese artist and activist Yasuyo Tanaka will speak about her work as a peace and fervent anti-nuclear advocate at the Upper Delaware Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in the Narrowsburg Union. The public is invited to attend in person or online by Zoom.

Tanaka’s August visit to the Upper Delaware River Valley coincides with somber dates in the shared history of Japan, the United States of America and the world.

August 13, 1942 marks the day the Manhattan Project opened its offices in New York City. The atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945 and the second fell on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945. The latter date is the anniversary of the end of the war in Japan.

August 13-15 is the Japanese Obon festival, when the spirits of ancestors return to their homes along with all their relatives. It is believed that by honoring and holding memorial services for the spirits of ancestors during this period, family unity is strengthened and blessings are received from the ancestors.

Tanaka is an artist, educator, researcher, organizer, peace worker and first-generation immigrant living in New York City.

She was born and raised in Japan, and her hometown of Yaita was damaged by radiation from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disasters and became a final disposal candidate site for nuclear waste. This awakened her to become a social practice artist, researching social and environmental issues and expressing her experiences and what she learned through art. 

In her presentation, titled “Under This Sky, Are We Hibakusha?,” she will share what she’s seen and felt in the nuclear disaster areas in Japan and the U.S., as well as photos related to radiation contamination. She will introduce the little-known history of the Manhattan Project (developing and manufacturing atomic bombs) which began in New York City, and will report on a creative learning project with children at the Manhattanville Community Center near the Nash Garage building (where the Manhattan Project platform was built). 

This presentation will explore personal connections to events taking place under this sky, beyond time and place. 

Tanaka will share images of her work and talk about its place and purpose in the intersection of Japanese and American culture. There will be a public exhibition and a special origami workshop for people of all ages following the service. 

For more information about this or upcoming weekly programs, see www.uduuf.com or email uduuf2022@gmail.com.